What you need to know:
It appears films seeking an Oscar in 2025 will have to follow new rules to get into the nominations.
There is no doubt that everything in life is in constant movement and evolution, even the things we like the most, such as the cinema. And the proof is that they announced it Lots of changes to the rules for the 2025 Oscars, Hollywood’s biggest party and one of the most anticipated ceremonies in the world.
It’s not a secret for anyone that from time to time The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is making changes to its regulations to adapt them to the context in which the industry finds itself thus giving the vast majority the opportunity to compete for the most coveted statuette in the cinema. However, Now they surprised us with the renovations they made for their next ceremony.
The Academy announced a number of changes for the 2025 Oscars
So that you can check what the data is like, On April 22, the Academy Board of Governors published the official award rules and advertising campaign regulations for the 97th edition of the Oscars., which will take place on March 2, 2025 at the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles. And there were changes that attracted attention.
Yes OK The biggest change is the expansion of the theater requirements for the Best Picture category., although there are other important aspects to check. This contains the animated feature films presented as Best International Film, which can now also be nominated as Best Animated Film if they meet the admission requirements described for both categories.
Also There is a new funding period for the best international film (November 1, 2023 to September 30, 2024) and Best Original Score, which now allows three composers to receive individual statuettes Yes, in exceptional cases everyone contributed fully to the writing of the music.
Aside from that, Screenplay categories now require some type of final shooting script to be part of the category submissions and considerations. They also updated and clarified the advertising rules for the campaign for the 97th edition of the Oscars, as they now set rules for the awards campaign.
Now, Film companies and individuals directly associated with award-worthy films may promote those films, achievements and performances to Academy members. In the same way, Academy members can promote Oscar-eligible films, achievements and performances.
The changes to the Best Picture category at the 2025 Oscars
Perhaps the most notable changes for the 2025 Oscars are thewhich have to do with the theatrical exhibition requirements for films seeking a Best Picture nomination. The first thing is this Drive-in theaters are no longer a qualification for this categorya measure that arose as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Once again, to be considered for the ceremony, A film must have a qualifying theatrical release between January 1st and December 31st of this year, in qualifying cities such as Los Angeles County; New York City; the Bay Area: Chicago, Illinois; Miami, Florida; and Atlanta, Georgia. However, Dallas/Fort Worth joins the list of cities where a film can premiere to be included in the top category.
After this first week-long qualification in at least one of the cities mentioned above, A film must now meet the following additional cinematic standards to be considered for Best Picture at the 2025 Oscars:
- Extended seven-day theatrical release, rolling or non-rolling, in 10 of the 50 largest U.S. markets, no later than 45 days after initial release in 2024.
- For late-night films with expansions after January 10, 2025, distributors must submit release plans to the Academy for review.
- Late year film release plans should include a planned extended theatrical run, as described above, to be completed no later than January 24, 2025.
- Launches in territories outside the United States may count toward two of the ten markets.
- Eligible markets outside the United States include the 15 largest international theatrical markets and the film’s home country.
These changes could affect lower budget films
While these changes to theaters for streaming platforms may seem a bit confusing, These new rules have worried the industry because they believe they will make distribution and consideration of lower budget films even more difficult. for a shot at Best Picture at the 2025 Oscars.
Last but not least, there are also changes to the regulations Competitive films must submit a form indicating that the film meets at least two of four of the Academy’s entry standards to be eligible for the best film, which they must submit no later than the date of the first commercial screening of the film, and indicate directly there the categories in which they think they can compete.
How are you doing? Lots of changes at the 2025 Oscars, don’t you think? It’s still a long time until the next Hollywood Academy Awards ceremony, but with all these changes, the battle and race between films for the golden statuette will definitely be very interesting.
