The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has announced that 311 feature films will compete for the Academy Award for best picture of 2005. That is a 16.5% increase from 2004, and it is also the first time in 32 years that more than 300 motion pictures have vied for the best picture award.
According to Academy Credits Coordinator Howard Loberfeld, the unusually high number of competitors is a result of both an increase in the number of feature-length documentaries playing theatrically (35 versus 15 in 2004), and the release of long-delayed projects by companies such as Miramax, which has undergone a major overhaul.
As per the Academy's press release, "according to Academy rules, to qualify for consideration a feature-length motion picture must have a running time of more than 40 minutes and have been exhibited theatrically on 35mm or 70mm film, or a qualifying digital format. A film must open in a commercial theater, for paid admission, in Los Angeles County between January 1, 2005, and midnight December 31, 2005, and run for seven consecutive days. [Of course, that means a film may have most of its "qualifying" week during 2006.] Films that receive their first public exhibition or distribution in any manner other than as a theatrical motion picture release are not eligible for Academy Awards in any category. Official screen credits and copies of the main and end title credits must have been submitted to the Academy by December 1, 2005."
Nominations for the 2006 Academy Awards will be announced on Tuesday, January 31, 2006, at 5:30 a.m. PST at the Academy's Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills.
The Academy Awards ceremony will be held on March 5, 2006, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland.