The Oscars are changing again, though not in the way you might expect. According to multiple reports, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is making significant eligibility changes in the acting and International Film categories, in addition to taking a stance on AI. Effective immediately, the acting categories, both lead and supporting, actors can be nominated for more than one performance in those individual categories if those performances place in the top five votes. Meaning that if Meryl Streep shines in two stunning lead performances in the same year, she can be nominated for both in the Best Actress category. The same goes for the Best Supporting Actress category.
More about the Best Actor/Actress category changes
Before the change, if an actor had multiple films ranked in the top five, only the performance with the most votes would qualify. The Academy’s Board of Governors no longer abides by this rule. Instead, if an actor has a knock-out year, they can be nominated for multiple performances. It’s unlikely that an actor will get nominated in the same category more than once, but under the new deal, it could happen, even if it’s three nominations. I shudder at the uproar this situation would create, but as I said, it’s likely to be a rare scenario.
Another change comes from the Academy’s handling of the International Film category. Films used to qualify only if their country or region officially selected them. Now, a studio can submit any non-English-language film as long as it has won a qualifying award at an international film festival. Those festivals and special awards include: Berlin (Golden Bear), Busan (Best Film Award), Cannes (Palme d’Or), Sundance (World Cinema Grand Jury Prize), Toronto (Platform Award), and Venice (Golden Lion). Furthermore, the International Feature Film category will now recognize the film itself as the nominee, rather than its country or region, as was previously the case. While the director will still accept the award on behalf of the entire creative team, their name will now also appear on the statuette plaque.
Finally, the Academy is taking a harsh stance on the use of AI in film. As of today, the AMPAS says that only performances “demonstrably performed by humans” will be eligible in acting categories. The same rule applies to writing categories. That’s right, folks! Get those AI-written scripts outta here! They’re not going to fly!
Ch-ch-ch-changes!
Here’s a breakdown of the new rule changes, courtesy of Deadline‘s report:
- In the Acting categories, actors may be nominated for multiple performances in the same category if those performances place in the top five votes, which aligns with achievements in other award categories.
- Additionally, in the Acting categories, only roles credited in the film’s legal billing and demonstrably performed by humans with their consent will be considered eligible.
- In the Casting category, the number of statuettes awarded will increase from a maximum of two to a maximum of three statuettes.
- In the Cinematography category, the preliminary voting round will produce a shortlist of 20 films rather than 10-20.
- In the International Feature Film category, there are now two ways to submit a film for consideration. In addition to a film being submitted as an official selection by a country or region via the Academy-approved Selection Committees, a non-English language film can now be submitted for consideration by winning a qualifying award at an international film festival as specified in the International Feature Film Award Qualifying Festival List. Qualifying festivals for the 99th Oscars® are the Berlin International Film Festival (Golden Bear for Best Film), Busan International Film Festival (Busan Award – Best Film Award), Cannes Film Festival (Palme d’Or), Sundance Film Festival (World Cinema Grand Jury Prize), Toronto International Film Festival (Platform Award) and Venice International Film Festival (Golden Lion).
- Additionally, in the International Feature Film category, the film will be credited as the nominee rather than the country or region, and the award will be accepted by the director on behalf of the film’s creative team. The director’s name will be listed on the statuette plaque after the film title and, if applicable, the country or region.
- In the Makeup and Hairstyling category, Makeup Artists and Hairstylists Branch members must attend at least one of the two final branch meetings (roundtables) to be eligible to vote in the preliminary round.
- In the Original Song category, the rules clarify a song’s eligibility when based on its placement in the end credits. For songs submitted as the first new music cue once the end credits begin, the video clip must include the last 15 seconds of the film before the credits begin.
- In the Visual Effects category, all Academy members must view the three-minute Before and After reels from the Visual Effects Bake-Off to be eligible to vote in the final round.
- In the Writing categories, the rules codify that screenplays must be human-authored to be eligible.
- For Governors Awards recipients, a minimum of three disciplines must be represented in a given Awards year.
- Under Eligibility (Rule Two) regarding Generative Artificial Intelligence, the Academy reserves the right to request more information about the nature of the use and human authorship.
What do you think about the new rules? Let us know in the comments section below.