Hollywood Foreign Press Association Admits Three New Members

The Hollywood Foreign Press Association, the small body of reporters that votes on the Golden Globe Awards, announced on Friday that it has admitted three new members.

They are Yulia Charysheva of Russia, Sabrina Joshi of India and Danielle Kool from the Netherlands. The group now has 85 members.

Joshi is the daughter of Ahmed Lateef, who was a longtime member of the HFPA until his death in 2015. She wrote a book about his life, “Hyderabad to Hollywood,” and writes about Hollywood for the Indian publication “You & I.”

The announcement comes as the HFPA is defending an antitrust lawsuit, which alleges that members use their access to restrict competition among foreign journalists.

Kjersti Flaa, a Norwegian TV and print reporter, filed the suit in August, alleging that she had twice been denied admission into the group because she would pose a competitive threat to two current members.

The suit also accused the HFPA of a “culture of corruption,” alleging that members go on lavish all-expenses-paid junkets and receive thousands of dollars for serving on HFPA committees.

The lawsuit alleges that many other qualified applicants have been denied entry in recent years. The suit lists Joshi among those who had been rejected previously, but does not name Charysheva or Kool.

On Monday, the HPFA filed a motion to dismiss Flaa’s lawsuit, accusing her of engaging in a bullying campaign to gain entry to the group.

New members are elected by a majority vote of the active membership. According to the HFPA, the results of the vote were tabulated by the accounting firm Ernst & Young.

Source: Read Full Article