Academy CEO Bill Kramer Headed to Tokyo for Award and Toho Summit

Academy CEO Bill Kramer is set to make his first trip to Asia later this month, marking a significant milestone in his tenure leading the organization. During his visit to Japan, Kramer will collect a prestigious leadership award at the Tokyo International Film Festival and sit down with Toho president and CEO Matsuoka Hiro for a public conversation. The festival’s 39th edition runs from October 26 to November 4 and has built a special program titled Academy in Tokyo around the visit. Two prominent colleagues will join Kramer in the Japanese capital: Academy president Lynette Howell Taylor and Meredith Shea, the organization’s chief membership, impact and industry officer.

The three executives will share a stage on October 28 at Tokyo Midtown Hibiya Hall for a 90-minute panel moderated by TIFF festival director Hisamatsu Takeo. They intend to take the audience behind the curtain of the Oscars while outlining the Academy’s international initiatives and membership programs. Furthermore, the conversation will examine how the organization views international cinema today and where it is heading in an increasingly globalized entertainment landscape.

Once the panel concludes, Kramer will receive TIFF’s Global Cinema Leadership Special Award. The festival organizers stated that the honor recognizes his substantial contribution to the growth of the worldwide film business and his dedication to global film culture. Later that day, the Academy will host a private reception designed to celebrate and connect its members from across the globe.

Kramer will return to the same venue on October 29 to participate in an onstage conversation with Matsuoka. Their joint session will explore the current state of the global film landscape, the outlook for both theatrical and streaming distribution, and innovative ways to deepen cross-border partnerships between Hollywood and the Japanese film industry. Both public events will be free to attend, though advance reservations are required.

Kramer assumed the Academy’s top administrative job in 2022, following his successful tenure running the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures as its director and president. Since stepping into the CEO role, Kramer has consistently pushed to broaden the Academy’s 11,000-strong membership and give the institution a more diverse, international makeup, overseeing global operations from his Los Angeles base.