Oscar 2009: 281 Features Eligible

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has announced that 281 features are eligible for the 2008 Academy Award for Best Picture — and most other categories, I assume.

As per Academy rules, to be eligible "feature films must open in a commercial motion picture theater in Los Angeles County by midnight, December 31, and begin a minimum run of seven consecutive days."

Also, "a feature-length motion picture must have a running time of more than 40 minutes and must have been exhibited theatrically on 35mm or 70mm film, or in a qualifying digital format."

And finally, "feature 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."

This last rule gave Linda Fiorentino (photo) some grief in 1994, as she would have been a strong contender for the best actress Oscar following her New York Film Critics Award win for her role in the neo-noir The Last Seduction. The problem was that The Last Seduction had been shown on cable television before hitting theaters.

An outcry followed in some circles, as Fiorentino-ites protested that times had changed and the Academy should adapt its rules to new filmmaking and film distribution realities. The Academy's top dogs, however, were adamant. Despite a lawsuit brought by the film's producing companies against the Academy, Linda Fiorentino remained ineligible.

A similar brouhaha — also to no avail — followed the disqualification of Ingmar Bergman's Scenes from a Marriage from the Oscar 1974 competition because the film had been shown on Swedish television the year before.

The 81st Academy Award nominations will be announced on Thursday, January 22, 2009, at 5:30 a.m. Pacific Time at the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills.

The 2009 Academy Awards ceremony will take place on Sunday, February 22, 2009, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center. In the US, it'll be televised live by ABC.