L.A. Woman: Academy President Janet Yang Discusses Her Career Path and Changes to the 2025 Oscars

Yahoo

01-03-2025

'I had an unusual path,' says Janet Yang, who in 2022, became the first Asian American President of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences — and the fourth woman in the role. 'I went to live in China after college, purely out of curiosity,' says the Queens, New York native and Brown and Columbia MFA graduate. 'It is my parents' birthplace but was closed off during my entire upbringing. Suddenly in 1979, U.S.-China relations were normalized and I got a publishing job in Beijing. While there, I saw movies and TV shows made by, for and about people who looked like me — for the first time in my life!'
Yang ended up running a company that distributed Chinese films in North America, then the studios hired her to sell American films to China. 'I had an office on the Universal lot, and one day, Kathy Kennedy calls to tell me that Steven (Spielberg) wants to make a movie in China,' she recalls. 'I ended up working on the [1987] epic Empire of the Sun, and that was when I finally discovered what I wanted to be when I grew up.'
Her partnerships with heavyweights like Oscar-winning filmmaker Oliver Stone and producer/ current Jim Henson Company CEO Lisa Henson led to some monumental and award-winning projects. 'It's hard not to put [1993's] The Joy Luck Club toward the top of the list — in part because so many people still come to me today, 30 years after its release, to tell me how important the movie was in their lives,' Yang says. 'As the first studio-backed movie with an all-Asian cast, and one that tells Asian American stories so authentically thanks to Amy Tan's novel, the movie became an inspiration for many in our community to dare to dream about a career in film.'
She has other favorites from the list, which includes 2000's The Weight of Water from director Kathryn Bigelow, 2002 legal thriller High Crimes with Morgan Freeman and 2007's Dark Matter with Meryl Streep. 'I have a special fondness for [1996's] The People vs. Larry Flint. Working with the brilliant director Milos Forman, and the brilliant cast, it was a studio movie that had something important to say. It is difficult to make a movie like that today,' she says. 'I am told by several friends that their kids absolutely love watching the [2020] Netflix animated movie, Over the Moon. They sing the songs repeatedly and have an aspirational heroine, Fei Fei, who wants to go to the moon.'
For the native New Yorker, L.A. required some getting used to. 'It took me a few years to get comfortable here, primarily because of all the driving,' she says. 'But when I discovered hiking in the hills, which can practically be in your backyard, I got hooked.'
Increasing Asian representation has been a priority for Yang, whose mother grew up in a very traditional Chinese household and culture. 'Her older sister had bound feet and was in an arranged marriage [and] her mother was totally illiterate,' she says. 'But she was able to pass a rigorous test and come to the U.S. to study, have a very full career at the United Nations, raise three children and still [find] time to play Mahjong and tennis regularly … and she did it with joy.'
In 2018, she co-founded Gold House — a collective that unites the Asian Pacific community around common causes. 'I take great satisfaction in sponsoring with Julia Gouw and CAPE [Coalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment] a short film challenge for Asian women,' Yang adds, 'and I really enjoy the Entertainment Game Changer Conference I chair at Asia Society.'
She's similarly worked to increase representation in the Academy, comprised of more than 10,500 prestigious film industry artists from around the world. 'Engaging internationally is in my DNA and fortunately, Academy CEO Bill Kramer and I agreed right off the bat that we needed to expand our membership globally to maintain relevance and foster growth,' she says. 'The world is more closely connected than ever, and we can be a giant umbrella for filmmakers and film lovers everywhere.'
In addition to diversification, she's tried to build community. 'We have initiated a number of member outreach programs and have robust communication with our members,' she says. 'I like to think I have helped nurture a culture of compassion, of respect, of equity and of enthusiasm.'
A desire to support the community also motivated her actions following the wildfires. The Academy donated $1 million and encouraged members to donate to the Motion Picture Television Fund (MTPF) — 'a fund that serves those greatly impacted by the fires in the industry,' she notes. They also altered the Oscar timetable: On Jan. 13, Yang and Kramer announced in a press release that, due to the still-active fires, they'd extended the nominations voting period (to Jan. 17), rescheduled the nominations announcement (to Jan. 23), canceled the nominees luncheon planned for Feb. 10 and postponed the Scientific and Technical Awards scheduled for Feb. 18.
'The Academy has always been a unifying force within the film industry, and we are committed to standing together in the face of hardship,' they wrote. 'We are determined to use this opportunity to celebrate our resilient and compassionate industry. We also look forward to honoring our frontline workers who have aided with the fires, recognizing those impacted and encouraging people to join the Academy in supporting the relief efforts.' They closed with, 'We will get through this together and bring a sense of healing to our global film community.'
The 97th Academy Awards show on March 2 will also celebrate the work that unites the global film community and acknowledge those who fought against the wildfires. 'Los Angeles is resilient, and we will honor the city's creativity and strength which have been so central to our industry,' Yang tells Los Angeles. Hosted by the Conan O'Brien, the show will highlight collaboration — the synergies and teamwork behind moviemaking. To that end, they'll be bringing back the 'Fab 5' moments, where film artists recognize nominees. The Best Original Song category presentation will move away from live performances and focus on the songwriters — featuring personal reflections from the teams who brought these songs to life.
During the show, musical moments will also connect film's history to its future — and Los Angeles will be touted as a beautiful, resilient, city of dreams that's nurtured film creatives for over a century. 'We are in constant communication with the show's producers,' Yang notes. 'We keep an open door and solicit ideas from all our governors. We are constantly discussing not only the specifics of say presenters, etc., but also the tone. We want to celebrate our industry and talent from all areas.'
Yang personally plans to return to producing — 'which I've not had much time for these past several years,' she says. And, as it represents what she calls 'the gold standard in the industry,' she sees the Academy's future as very bright.
'The importance of the institution – with its educational and talent development programs, its archival and restoration work, its screening series – cannot be overestimated,' she says. 'Last year, we launched Academy100, a revenue diversification and outreach campaign to ensure that this work can continue into the next 100 years.' She adds: 'And the love for the show cannot be overstated.'
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