SCVNews.com | CalARTS Alums Invited to The Academy

[Sign Up Now] to Receive Our FREE Daily SCVTV-SCVNews Digest by E-Mail

Inside

Weather

Calendar

Today in
S.C.V. History

December 9

1983 - U.S. release of John Carpenter's "Christine;" blew up fake gas station in Valencia [watch scene (R)]

Christine gas station explosion in Valencia

CalARTS Alums Invited to The Academy

California Institute of the Arts | Thursday, Jul 6, 2017

Click Here to Get Our 'SCV This Morning' Newsletter

Tweet This

Facebook

Digg This

Bookmark

Stumble

RSS

Last week, a record 774 actors, directors, cinematographers, designers and producers to become new members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). Among the range of talents are several CalArtians.

Alumni Kyle Balda (Film/Video 93), co-director of the upcoming Despicable Me 3, Gina Warr Lawes (Film/Video MFA 95), lighting supervisor of the upcoming Wreck It Ralph 2, Jenny Lerew (Film/Video BFA 90), animator for How To Train Your Dragon, David Pimentel (Film/Video BFA 90), head of story for Moana, Jeffrey Pidgeon (Film/Video BFA), story artist for Monsters University, Christine Panushka (Film/Video MFA 83) director of The Sum Of Them and Peter Sohn (Film/Video BFA 99), director of The Good Dinosaur are among those extended invitations. School of Film/Video faculty William Schwab and Wayne Unten are also on the list.

The newest list is the Academy’s most diverse yet, representing 57 countries, with people of color making up 30% of the new class. The reconfiguring of who gets invitations is partly because of the #OscarsSoWhite campaign of the past two years, critiquing the Academy for under-representing women, racial minorities and international artists.

In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, Academy CEO Dawn Hudson talked about the phasing out of quotas as a way to diversify the Academy. “With the aggressive pursuit of excellence by all of our members, I think we will be able to expand in a more inclusive way for several years,” she said.

Comment On This Story

COMMENT POLICY: We welcome comments from individuals and businesses. All comments are moderated. Comments are subject to rejection if they are vulgar, combative, or in poor taste.
REAL NAMES ONLY: All posters must use their real individual or business name. This applies equally to Twitter account holders who use a nickname.

0 Comments

You can be the first one to leave a comment.

Click here to cancel reply.

LOCAL SCHOOL LINKS

Dec. 10: Hart Board Organizational Meeting, Financing Authority Meeting

Monday, Dec 8, 2025

The Board of Trustees of the William S. Hart Union School District will meet on Wednesday, Dec. 10, at 7 p.m. This will be the annual organizational meeting for the Hart Board to elect new board officers.

FULL STORY...

Dec. 10: SUSD Board Meets for School Property Negotiation

Monday, Dec 8, 2025

A Special Meeting of the Saugus Union School District Governing Board of Trustees will be held on Wednesday, Dec. 10.

FULL STORY...

Dec. 11 : CUSD Board of Trustees Regular Meeting

Monday, Dec 8, 2025

The Castaic Union School District Governing Board will hold its regular meeting Thursday, Dec. 11 at 6 p.m. The board will first meet in closed session at 5 p.m.

FULL STORY...

Kaiser Presents $10,000 Community Health Grant to SUSD

Thursday, Dec 4, 2025

Kaiser Permanente joined the Saugus Union School District recently to honor its outstanding achievement in health education; all 15 SUSD district schools earned America’s Healthiest Schools All-Star Recognition from the Alliance for a Healthier Generation.

FULL STORY...

Thurmond Discusses 2026 Education Proposals with Literacy Task Force

Tuesday, Dec 2, 2025

State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond hosted an informational hearing of the Statewide Literacy Task Force on Monday, Dec. 1 at the California Department of Education in Sacramento.

FULL STORY...

Latest Additions to SCVNews.com


City Council Elects Laurene Weste Mayor, Patsy Ayala Mayor Pro Tem The Santa Clarita City Council conducted its annual council reorganization meeting on Tuesday, Dec. 9 and, as expected, elevated Laurene Weste, current Mayor Pro Tem to the position of Mayor for the 2026 term.	LASD: Body-Worn Cameras Will be Deployed in L.A. County Jails In a significant step towards enhancing safety and accountability within the Los Angeles County Jails, Sheriff Robert G. Luna, of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, has announced the implementation of Body-Worn Cameras in the Custody Division during a press conference held on Wednesday, Dec. 3.	Dec. 14: SCIFF to Close Festival with Premiere of ‘Respect the Duck’ The Santa Clarita International Film Festival will conclude its milestone fifth annual festival on Sunday, Dec. 14, with the highly anticipated premiere of "Respect the Duck," a new docudrama filmed during the 2023 festival.	Dec. 14-22: Plan Ahead, SCV Water Asks Customers to Pause Outdoor Water Use The Santa Clarita Valley Water Agency is asking customers to pause all outdoor water use Dec. 14-22, while scheduled maintenance at Castaic Lake temporarily limits the agency’s imported water supply.	Dec. 11: Santa Clarita Arts Commission to Look at Planned 2026 Exhibits The Santa Clarita Arts Commission will meet on Thursday, Dec. 11 at 6 p.m. at Santa Clarita City Hall City Council Chambers, 23920 Valencia Blvd. First Floor, Santa Clarita, CA 91355.	Canyons Comes Back in 76-72 Road Win Over Desert The Cougars men's basketball team was able to overcome an 11-point half-time deficit to push past host College of the Desert by a 76-72 final score on Saturday, Dec. 6.
Mitchell Coleman Named Tejon Ranch Conservancy Executive Director The Tejon Ranch Conservancy Board of Directors has announced the appointment of Dr. Mitchell Coleman as the organization’s Executive Director, effective immediately.	Cougars Drop Both Games of Inaugural ‘Canyons Crossover’ College of the Canyons women's basketball ended up on the wrong end of a pair of losses during the inaugural "Canyon Crossover" event held Dec. 5-6 at the Cougar Cage.	TMU Improves to 2-0 in GSAC Play with La Sierra Win The Master's University men's basketball team won its second GSAC game in as many tries Saturday, Dec. 6 against La Sierra by a score of 99-67 in Riverside.	Lady Mustangs Rout La Sierra in Road Win Chloe Auble scored 25 points and hit six three-pointers in The Master's University women's basketball's 85-60 win over La Sierra Saturday, Dec. 6 in Riverside.	Today in SCV History (Dec. 9) 1983 - U.S. release of John Carpenter's "Christine;" blew up fake gas station in Valencia [watch scene (R)]	Explore ARTree Classes, Workshops this Winter There are still spots available for winter workshops and classes at ARTree Community Arts Center.
Dec. 9: City Council to Hold Special Meeting The Santa Clarita City Council will hold a Special Meeting in closed session at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 9 at Santa Clarita City Hall, 23920 Valencia Blvd., Santa Clarita, CA 91355. The council will meet in closed session to confer with legal counsel regarding anticipated litigation.	Dec. 10: Hart Board Organizational Meeting, Financing Authority Meeting The Board of Trustees of the William S. Hart Union School District will meet on Wednesday, Dec. 10, at 7 p.m. This will be the annual organizational meeting for the Hart Board to elect new board officers.	Dec. 9: No Burn Day Alert Issued for SCV, South Coast Air Basin The South Coast Air Quality Management District has issued a residential No Burn Day Alert for Tuesday, Dec. 9, for all those living in the South Coast Air Basin, which includes the Santa Clarita Valley, Orange County and non-desert portions of Los Angeles, Riverside and San Bernardino counties.	CSUN Makes The Hollywood Reporter’s List of Top 20 Music Schools Once again, The Hollywood Reporter has named California State University, Northridge one of the top 20 music schools in the world.	Dec. 10: SUSD Board Meets for School Property Negotiation A Special Meeting of the Saugus Union School District Governing Board of Trustees will be held on Wednesday, Dec. 10.	Dec. 11 : CUSD Board of Trustees Regular Meeting The Castaic Union School District Governing Board will hold its regular meeting Thursday, Dec. 11 at 6 p.m. The board will first meet in closed session at 5 p.m.
CDPH Issues Warning of Amatoxin Poisoning Linked to Wild, Foraged Mushrooms The California Department of Public Health is issuing an advisory following a recent outbreak of amatoxin poisoning linked to the consumption of wild, foraged mushrooms.	Lady Mustangs’ Season Ends in Sioux City The Master's University women's volleyball team needed a win in the final match of pool play to keep its season alive. It fell short in four sets.	Dec. 8-14: Seven Productions Filming in SCV The city of Santa Clarita Film Office has released the list of seven productions filming in the Santa Clarita Valley for the week of Monday, Dec. 8 to Sunday, Dec. 14.	Mission Opera Presents ‘Amahl and The Night Visitors’ Mission Opera will present a production of “Amahl And The Night Visitors” at various locations in and around the Santa Clarita Valley.	Miner’s Late-Game Heroics Lift TMU Over Ottawa Quincy Phillips had 22 points and Brayden Miner drained a three-pointer in the final minute to lift TMU over OUAZ and win its first GSAC game by a score of 75-72 on Thursday, Dec. 4 in Santa Clarita.	Lady Mustangs Open GSAC Play in Dominant Fashion The Master's University women's basketball team took down the OUAZ Spirit in dominant fashion in their GSAC opener, 75-40 Thursday, Dec. 4 in Santa Clarita.