The 2024 Oscars are just around the corner: on March 10, the coveted golden boys will once again be awarded in 24 different categories. Although the Academy Awards have continued to add categories honoring Academy members since their inception in 1929, it has been more than two decades since a new category was last added. In 2001, the Oscar for best animated film was awarded for the first time – it went to the genre classic “Shrek”, but now there is actually another award.
In 2026, the first new category in 25 years will be added to the Academy Awards. How reported, For the first time, the award ceremony will honor the ‘Best Casting’ category, for which casting directors of the nominated films from 2025 are eligible. The Casting Directors Branch has existed within the Academy since 2013 and now has almost 160 members. Even before they were officially founded, they campaigned for casting to be recognized as a separate category at the Oscars and this year they finally got it right.
Academy CEO Bill Kramer and Academy President Janet Yang justified the decision to include the category as follows: “Casting directors play an essential role in filmmaking and as the Academy evolves, we are proud to add casting to the disciplines we recognize and celebrate. We congratulate our Casting Directors Branch on this milestone and their commitment and urgency in this process.”
What do casting directors do?
Casting directors are responsible for pre-selecting the cast of a film or series and lead the entire casting process. Based on the script and possible ideas from the director and producers for certain roles, Casting directors prepare suggestions, contact the relevant actors and agencies, hold auditions and collect the material. The decision about who gets which role usually rests with the director and producers.
The ‘Outstanding Casting’ category has been awarded during the Emmy Awards since 1994. Most recently, Meredith Tucker, Francesco Vedovati and Barbara Giordani were honored here for casting the second season of the HBO series “The White Lotus.”