Academy Board Of Governors Candidates Set, But No Ted Sarandos

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has sent out its list of final candidates for its Board of Governors elections being held this month. The list was culled from more than 150 entrants which included Netflix’s Ted Sarandos in the Executives branch — he did not make the final list.

Sarandos was considered a controversial entry into the mix given his distruptor credentials at Netflix — see the hot topic at the Cannes Film Festival. It was thought he’d have a hard road making the final four here.

Among the candidates that are in the final round are Rob Friedman and Hawk Koch. Per Academy rules, should they be elected it would make them eligible to run for the vacant Academy president seat as Cheryl Boone Isaacs ends her final term. Friedman lost to Boone Isaacs in the race four years ago, when she won and replaced Koch, who was termed out. Dick Cook and Dan Fellman are other popular execs looking to get back on the Executives branch as potential presidential candidates, and speculation continues to swirl around names like casting director David Rubin, Laura Dern and Fox Searchlight co-president Nancy Utley.

The final election across the 17 branches begins Monday, June 19 and closes on Friday, June 23.

Here’s the full list of candidates:

2017 Board of Governors Candidates

Actors

Geena Davis
Whoopi Goldberg
Edward James Olmos
Rita Wilson

Casting Directors

Kerry Barden
Lora Kennedy
Joseph Middleton
Ilene Starger

Cinematographers

Dion Beebe
Russell P. Carpenter
Guillermo Navarro
Mandy Walker

Costume Designers

Judianna Makovsky
Ellen Mirojnick
Isis Mussenden

Designers