The Academy Awards are changing the game for international films in 2027. New rules mean a country’s official selection is no longer the only path to Oscar contention. Winning a top prize at major festivals like Cannes or Venice now guarantees a spot in the International Feature Film category. This shift could significantly impact countries like India, where Oscar submissions have often been controversial. The change offers a potential bypass for films that might be overlooked by national selection committees, opening doors for more diverse and internationally acclaimed works to compete for the prestigious award. According to the new guidelines of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, if a film wins a top award at international film festivals like Cannes, Venice, Toronto, Berlin, Sundance, or Busan, it can directly qualify for the Oscars’ International Feature category. This means that the film will not need to become its country’s official entry. The example of this change is being understood from Indian filmmaker Payal Kapadia’s film ‘All We Imagine as Light’. According to the report, if these rules had been implemented earlier, the film could have been included in the Oscar race even without becoming India’s official entry. In India, the responsibility of selecting films for the Oscars lies with the Film Federation of India (FFI). However, its selection process has been questioned for many years. In 2013, there was a controversy regarding Irrfan Khan’s film ‘The Lunchbox’. Despite receiving acclaim at the Cannes Film Festival, it was not chosen as India’s official entry. Instead, ‘The Good Road’ was sent. At that time, many people, including filmmaker Anurag Kashyap, criticised the selection process. Under the new guidelines, the credit for the International Feature Award will now be given to the film’s director instead of the country. Additionally, the possibility of more than one film from a single country reaching the Oscar race has increased. Film industry experts consider this an opportunity for Indian cinema, as internationally acclaimed films can now get relief from domestic selection politics. AI actors and writers will not be eligible for Oscars
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