'Parasite' actors and crew invited to join the Academy after film's historic Oscars win

The South Korean drama thriller became the first foreign-language film to win Best Picture this year

FILE PHOTO: Kwak Sin Ae and Bong Joon-ho win the Oscar for Best Picture for "Parasite" at the 92nd Academy Awards in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, U.S., February 9, 2020. REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni -Show more

The organisation that awards the Oscars has invited 819 new members to join its ranks, including several stars of the South Korean film Parasite.

The drama-thriller made history earlier this year when it became the first foreign language film to win the Oscar for Best Picture. Among those invited to join the Academy are actors Jang Hye-Jin, Jo Yeo-Jeong, Lee Jung-Eun and Park So-Dam, as well as the movie's editor, costume designer and other crew members. The movie's director Bong Joon-ho and lead actor Song Kang-ho were invited in 2015.

With this year’s new members, the Academy has exceeded its goal, set in 2016, to diversify its membership by 2020.

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Among other new members, who come from 68 countries, are actors Awkwafina, Ana de Armas, Cynthia Erivo, Niecy Nash, Florence Pugh and John David Washington, and director and writer Lulu Wang.

The academy launched an effort to diversify its ranks after facing criticism in 2015 when the #OscarsSoWhite movement highlighted a lack of Black actors nominated for the film industry's top awards.

With the new list, 33 per cent of the academy's 9,000-plus members are women and 19 per cent come from underrepresented racial or ethnic communities, the Academy said.

The goal set in 2016 aimed to double the number of women and people from underrepresented communities by 2020. In 2015, 25 per cent of the membership were women and 10 per cent from underrepresented groups.

"We take great pride in the strides we have made in exceeding our initial inclusion goals set back in 2016, but acknowledge the road ahead is a long one," said Academy Chief Executive Dawn Hudson. "We are committed to staying the course."