The Slovenian Film Center has announced that the director and animator Špela Čadež has received an invitation to become a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the organization that hands out the prestigious Academy Awards. Čadež told STA that she has accepted the invitation and added: “This is a tremendous honor. I’m already looking forward to ranking movies.”

Not all productions come from Hollywood
According to Čadež, independent animated films have struggled when it came to winning awards because the film industry is exceptionally strong. This can result in extreme situations, which is what happened last year, when the Academy Award went to Dear Basketball, a joint project of animator Glen Keane and NBA superstar Kobe Bryant.

Špela Čadež went on to say that the Academy had decided to fix that impression by inviting a large number of independent filmmakers. She hopes that the awards will go to those who deserve them, rather to someone who is already a celebrity in Los Angeles. Even though the Oscars are a Hollywood prize, they are recognized around the world. That’s why everyone who is invited to vote is important in ensuring that non-Hollywood productions will also be among the considered films, Čadež added in her conversation with STA.