ACE Membership

American Cinema Editors is an honorary society celebrating excellence within the art of motion picture editing. Our objective is to advance the prestige and dignity of the editing profession by elevating recognition for our creative contributions, promoting mutual respect among our peers, supporting diversity and inclusion, and endeavoring to be ambassadors for our unique art. 

Active Member

ACTIVE MEMBERS are professional, working editors (domestic or international) whose achievements as a Motion Picture Editor show exceptional ability and distinction.

Candidates for ACTIVE MEMBERSHIP must be sponsored by 2 Active or Life Members. ( See SPONSOR REQUIREMENTS below.)

Candidates for ACTIVE MEMBERSHIP must also have a minimum of 72 months of substantiated editing credits on projects that have distribution in the U.S. (or U.S. territories), either as a theatrical release or via a form of national broadcast as defined in Article II, or is a co-production of a U.S.-based company. In addition, we take into consideration candidates who have earned special merit, distinction or made outstanding contributions to our artistry through education, leadership and mentorship.

Active Membership is by invitation only.

NON-APPLICATION ADMISSION: The ACE Board of Directors also reserves the right to directly invite a film editor of distinction to become an ACE member.

Application fee: $50
Initiation fee: $1500
Annual Dues: $450

Membership Includes
  • ACE designation in credits
  • Listing in the ACE Member Directory
  • Membership in EditFest Global events and online content
  • Invitations to special events and workshops
  • Invitations to attend exclusive ACE meetings and Holiday parties
  • Access to past magazine issues and other content online via a complimentary subscription to EditFest Global
  • Voting rights for ballot of Eddie Awards
  • Voting rights for officers or members of the Board of Directors
Requirements
Experience: Credit List
Must have been employed a minimum of 72 months as an editor of either feature-length motion pictures or television (1/2 hr or more in length) for which they received screen credit in main or main end titles.

Shared credits in the MAIN TITLE and MAIN END TITLE count as full credits.

Associate Editor and Additional Editor credits DO NOT count.

Editors are encouraged to review their IMDB information and keep it up-to-date.

All credits should be verifiable through online industry tools (i.e., IMDb, agency websites).

Applicants are responsible for reviewing their online industry credit information to make sure it’s up-to-date and accurate.

Applicants are responsible for providing the necessary documents, contact information, or links to online resources to verify eligibility.

All credits will be subject to peer review.

Any false or incorrect submission of credited work will invalidate the application.

Shared Credits
Shared credits in the MAIN TITLE and MAIN END TITLE count as full credits.

Please note:

  • Associate Editor and Additional Editor credits do not count.
  • Non-Scripted and Animation credits may be calculated differently.
  • All credits are subject to peer review.
  • ACE does not accept credits on trailers, commercials, infomercials, news or live TV shows with an “editorial pass” to meet length or language requirements only.
  • We do not accept credits on films, TV or webisodes that air in a format shorter than 30 minutes, “the making of” videos, or “TV Specials” such as award shows.
Sponsorship
One must be an ACTIVE or LIFE ACE Member in good standing for three years before writing a sponsorship letter for a membership applicant. Members may sponsor one candidate per calendar year.

Sponsorship letters must be dated within one year of the interview date. If over one year, the Membership Committee shall ask the sponsor to renew and re-validate the endorsement.

Each applicant needs two sponsors. The applicant shall present a sponsorship letter (a minimum of 100 words in length), paired with a signed Sponsor Verification Form from each sponsor.

REMINDER: Both SPONSORS must be ACTIVE ACE members who have been in good standing for at least 3 years, or an ACE LIFE member. At least one of the SPONSORS should have worked directly with the applicant or known them in the workplace. If neither primary Sponsor has known the applicant in the workplace, we strongly encourage an additional recommendation letter from a colleague.

Affiliate Member

Any person in a professional position in the motion picture and broadcast industries or their allied fields who the Board of Directors deems qualified for membership in American Cinema Editors by virtue of their support of the American Cinema Editors program may, by a majority vote of a quorum of the Board, be an Affiliate Member.
Application fee: $50
Initiation fee: $1500
Annual Dues: $450
Membership Includes

  • Listing in the ACE Member Directory
  • Membership in EditFest Global events and online content
  • Invitations to special events and workshops
  • Invitations to attend exclusive ACE meetings and Holiday parties
  • Access to past magazine issues and other content online via a complimentary subscription to EditFest Global
  • Voting rights for ballot of Eddie Awards
  • ACE designation in credits
  • Voting rights for officers or members of the Board of Directors
Membership DOES NOT Include
  • ACE designation in credits
  • Voting rights for officers or members of the Board of Directors

Affiliate members may list their affiliation in printed material as “Affiliate Member of ACE”.

Affiliate members may be invited to upgrade to full Active membership, via application and at the discretion of the ACE Board, if they have been a member in good standing for a minimum of 2 years and meet the minimum requirements to apply for Active membership.

Requirements
Experience
ACE Affiliate Membership is for those with some experience in the motion picture and television industries or their allied fields, but who does not yet meet the requirements to apply for an ACE Active Membership.
Resume and Personal Statement
The Affiliate application must include a Resume and a Personal Statement about why they would like to become an ACE Affiliate Member.

International Member

This program is for experienced and well-established editors living and working outside of the U.S., who are members of an editing organization, recognized by ACE, in their own countries. After validating your application, the ACE International Relations Committee will conduct an interview and then make a recommendation to the ACE Board of Directors, which votes on admission.
Application fee: $50 USD
Initiation fee: Dependent on country
Annual Dues: Dependent on country
Membership Includes
  • Listing in the ACE Member Directory
  • Membership in EditFest Global events and online content
  • Invitations to special events and workshops
  • Invitations to attend exclusive ACE meetings and Holiday parties
  • Access to past magazine issues and other content online via a complimentary subscription to EditFest Global
  • Voting rights for ballot of Eddie Awards
  • ACE designation in credits
  • Voting rights for officers or members of the Board of Directors
Membership DOES NOT Include
  • ACE designation in credits
  • Voting rights for officers or members of the Board of Directors

International members may indicate their ACE International Partnership on their resume and in their biography.

International Partners may be invited to upgrade to full Active membership, at the discretion of the Board, if they have been a member in good standing for a minimum of 2 years, and have worked for a minimum of 72 months on projects that have US distribution, either as a theatrical release or via a form of national broadcast 

Requirements
Experience
Must have worked a minimum of 72 months as an editor of either feature-length motion pictures or television (one-half hour or more in length) for which you received screen credit.
Good Standing in Community
Be a member in good standing of your local editing organization, recognized by ACE, and affirmed by two officers from that organization.
We strongly suggest collecting all the required documents prior to starting your application

Completing the application process does not guarantee acceptance to ACE. We invite candidates to reapply if they are not accepted.

Application Process

ACE is a private honorary society, not a union or guild. Membership is by invitation only.

1 – Application

The application is completed and an interview is performed before the applicant can be recommended to the ACE Board by the ACE Membership Committee

2 – Review & Recomendation

The applicant is put forward to the ACE Board of Directors.

Additionally, only Active and International Partnership Program membership applicants are put forward to the membership at large for approval.

3 – Approval

Active membership and International Membership Program applicants are placed in a 30 day wait period. Upon the completion of the wait period,  if no objections have been made, then the candidate is approved.

Active Membership Application

 

There is a non-refundable application fee of $50, upon which you will be redirected to a web page with ACE’s Code of Conduct. Upon acknowledging the Code of Conduct, the applicant will be emailed a link to their personal application form.

You will need to upload a Cover Letter, Headshot, and 2 Letters of Recommendation from current ACTIVE or LIFE ACE Members with first-hand knowledge of you (if one sponsor is related to the applicant, a third sponsor letter is required). Each recommendation letter must be paired with a verification form signed by the sponsor.

Completing the application process does not guarantee acceptance to ACE. We invite candidates to reapply if they are not accepted.

Once the application is submitted, a three-step process follows:

  1. The applicant is interviewed by the ACE Membership Committee.
  2. Approved applicant is then recommended to the ACE Board of Directors.
  3. Applicants recommended by the Board of Directors are submitted to the Active membership-at-large for review. An Active member-at-large may file a well-founded objection to a pending application (referencing a Code of Conduct breach, for example) to the Board within 30 days for consideration. Acceptance will be approved pending no objections after the waiting period has concluded.

ACE members may submit a well founded objection for an admission to the Board during the 30 day wait period.

Once the application is approved:

There is a one-time initiation fee of $1500. After that, member dues are charged at $450/year. The induction process usually takes about 4 months.

 

Please send the Sponsor Verification Form link to your sponsor. Once they sign the document, they will receive a signed PDF in their email which they must pass to you, to add to your application.

Sponsor Verification Form
Start Active Member Application Here

Affiliate Membership Application

There is a non-refundable application fee of $50, upon which you will be redirected to a web page with ACE’s Code of Conduct. Upon acknowledging the Code of Conduct, the applicant will be emailed a link to their personal application form.

Note: You will need to upload a Cover Letter, a Resume and a Headshot

Completing the application process does not guarantee acceptance to ACE. We invite candidates to reapply if they are not accepted.

Once the application is approved:

There is a one-time initiation fee of $1500. After that, member dues are charged at $450/year. The induction process usually takes about 4 months.

Start Affiliate Member Application Here

International Membership Application

There is a non-refundable application fee of $25 USD, upon which you will be redirected to a web page with ACE’s Code of Conduct. Upon acknowledging the Code of Conduct, the applicant will be emailed a link to their personal application form.

Note: You will need to upload a Headshot, two Recommendation Verification Forms, and one Credited Months Form.

Completing the application process does not guarantee acceptance to ACE. We invite candidates to reapply if they are not accepted.

Once the application is submitted, a three-step process follows:

  1. The applicant is interviewed by the ACE International Relations Committee.
  2. Approved applicant is then recommended to the ACE Board of Directors.
  3. Applicants recommended by the Board of Directors are submitted to the membership-at-large and the 30 day wait period begins.

ACE members may submit a well founded objection for an admission to the Board during the 30 day wait period.

Once the application is approved:

There is a one-time Initiation Fee for ACE International Partners, plus annual dues, both of which depend on the applicant’s country of residence (listed below). This is determined by the Purchasing Power Parities (PPP), a ‘currency conversion rate’ based on the price of a basket of goods and services in a particular country and updated each year. 

Start International Member Application Here

Life and Honorary Members

LIFE members are retired ACE members.

Honorary members are non-editors who have distinguished themselves in the industry, as voted by the Board of Directors.

The ACE Board of Directors also reserves the right to directly invite a film editor of distinction to become an ACE member.