The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has mailed Foreign Language Film award entry forms to a record 95 countries, thus, as per the Academy's press release, "facilitating their submissions" for the 80th Academy Awards.
To qualify for the 2007 Oscars, a foreign-language film must obey the following criteria:
- Be released in the submitting country between October 1, 2006, and September 30, 2007
- Be publicly screened in 35mm or 70mm film, or in a qualifying digital cinema format for at least seven consecutive days in a commercial motion picture theater
- The dialogue track must be predominantly in a language or languages other than English. Accurate English subtitles are required for the submitted film
- Entry forms and film prints must be received at the Academy by Monday, October 1, 2007
Since only one picture will be accepted from each country, that means that no matter how good the 2007 output of, say, France, only one French film will be considered for the foreign-language Oscar. Unfair? Absolutely. Imagine if they had similar rules for the best picture award, i.e., only one film per U.S. distributor could be submitted in that category.
No wonder countries with diverse "quality" output opt to submit films under the guise of another nationality, as was the case with last year's Indigènes / Days of Glory (photo), a mostly French production, directed and co-written by Paris-born Rachid Bouchareb, but that was submitted — and eventually nominated — as an Algerian film. (Some of the funds and the director's ancestors hailed from Algeria.)
Countries that have not received entry packets but are interested in submitting a film for consideration should contact Awards Coordinator Torene Svitil at (310) 247-3000, ext. 116, or via e-mail at tsvitil@oscars.org.
The next Academy Awards ceremony will be held at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center on Sunday, February 24, 2008.
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Ivan,
I'd suggest you contact the Academy directly. Their website is http://www.oscars.org/
Good luck!
Hello:
Just to formulate a question. I represent a foreign film produced and exhibited in theaters for 7 consecutive weeks with HD projector equipment in Puerto Rico. As per your rules this movie can be part of the submitted film. My question is…this film can be submitted also for the Nominee Comitte in HDCAM format?
Our local selection committe is considering the 2007 selection and I have to know if I can be part of this evaluation independently if this film is not in 35mm, my film was produced and projected in High Definition.
Ivan Gonzalo Ortiz