Film academy reelects president, elevates four newcomers to officer positions

Casting director David Rubin was reelected president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences by the organization’s board of governors, the academy announced on Tuesday.

Rubin, whose credits include the films “The English Patient,” “Men in Black” and “Four Weddings and a Funeral,” is beginning his third term as president and his ninth year as a governor representing the casting directors branch.

First elected in 2019 to succeed cinematographer John Bailey, Rubin has encouraged the 94-year-old institution’s efforts to promote greater inclusion and helped push its long-delayed museum, which is set to open in September, over the finish line. At the same time, the group has continued to face thorny challenges, as the Oscars telecast suffers from flagging ratings and the film industry as a whole undergoes seismic shifts that have only been exacerbated by the pandemic.

Other officer elections announced Tuesday were as follows:

• DeVon Franklin, vice president (chair, Equity and Inclusion Committee)
• Donna Gigliotti, vice president/secretary (chair, Governance Committee)
• Larry Karaszewski, vice president (chair, History and Preservation Committee)
• David Linde, vice president/treasurer (chair, Finance Committee)
• Isis Mussenden, vice president (chair, Museum Committee)
• Wynn P. Thomas, vice president (chair, Education and Outreach Committee)
• Jennifer Todd, vice president (chair, Awards Committee)
• Janet Yang, vice president (chair, Membership Committee)

Karaszewski, Mussenden, Thomas and Yang were reelected as officers, while Franklin, Gigliotti, Linde and Todd were elected for the first time.

Academy officers serve one-year terms, with a maximum of four consecutive years in any one office.