The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has announced that producer credits for Best Picture nominee The Reader have been determined by the Producers Branch Executive Committee: The official nominees are Anthony Minghella, Sydney Pollack, Donna Gigliotti and Redmond Morris.
As per the Academy's press release, "because four producers were listed on the credits form submitted for Oscar consideration and Academy rules allow for only three producers – except in 'a rare and extraordinary circumstance' – to be nominated and potentially receive Oscar statuettes, a meeting of the executive committee was necessary. In the end, the committee determined that the circumstances of The Reader – in which the two original producers (Minghella and Pollack) both died partway through the process – met its definition of 'rare and extraordinary' and that all four submitted individuals should be named as nominees."
The Reader, which revolves around the tribulations of a former World War II concentration camp guard, is in competition for a total of five Academy Awards, including best actress (Kate Winslet), best direction (Stephen Daldry, his third nomination for his third feature film), and best adapted screenplay (David Hare, from Bernhard Schlink's book).
Additionally, the film is up for five BAFTA awards, and has won Kate Winslet best supporting actress honors from both the Hollywood Foreign Press Association and the Screen Actors Guild.
The 2009 Academy Awards ceremony will be held on Sunday, February 22, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center. In the US, it'll be televised live by ABC.
Two dead producers? That's a lot of bad luck.