Foreign film Oscar deadline: Oct. 1
While we are all familiar with the Dec. 31 L.A. release-date deadline for Oscar eligibility, the academy has set other dates as cutoffs for various awards.
For example, as per Rule 14, for a film to be eligible to compete for the foreign-film Oscar, it has to be released in its own country between Oct. 1, 2006, and Sept. 30, 2007, and play for at least one week in a commercial theater.
Each country is limited to just one entry. The academy requires a list of the selection committee "that should include artists and/or craftspeople from the field of motion pictures" by Aug. 1, 2007.
Last year, the academy released a short list of nine films several weeks before the final nominations were announced, but it is unclear if the same will be done this year.
And, if you want your foreign film to be eligible for other Oscar categories, it must also comply with that Dec. 31 L.A. release date deadline. Otherwise, if you make the final five, you are out of luck as per Rule 14 VI (3):
"Films nominated for the Best Foreign Language Film Award shall not be eligible for Academy Awards consideration in any category in any subsequent Awards year. Submitted films not selected as nominees are eligible for Academy Award consideration in other categories in the subsequent year, provided the film has its Los Angeles opening in that calendar year."
