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Common, Cumberbatch, Mendes among new film academy members

FILE - In this Feb. 22, 2015 file photo, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) president Cheryl Boone Isaacs arrives at the Oscars in Los Angeles. Isaacs was elected as the 35th president of AMPAS in 2013. She is the first African American to hold this office. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP, File) FILE - In this Feb. 22, 2015 file photo, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) president Cheryl Boone Isaacs arrives at the Oscars in Los Angeles. Isaacs was elected as the 35th president of AMPAS in 2013. She is the first African American to hold this office. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP, File)

By Associated Press June 26, 2015 1 min read

LOS ANGELES (AP) – Kevin Hart, David Oyelowo, Common, Benedict Cumberbatch and Emma Stone are now members of the film academy.

Academy president Cheryl Boone Isaacs announced the names of 322 new members Friday, calling them a more diverse and inclusive list of filmmakers and artists than ever before.

Other new members include Sergio Mendes, Elizabeth Banks, John Legend, Gugu Mbatha-Raw and “Dope” director Rick Famuyiwa.

Academy membership is by invitation only. Oscar nominees are automatically invited; others must be sponsored by two members of their branch of filmmaking.

The nearly 6,000-member group has long been criticized for its largely white, male membership.

An all-white roster of acting nominees at the most recent Academy Awards inspired the hashtag #OscarsSoWhite on social media and increased scrutiny of the lack of diversity in the ranks of the organization.