The Academy dropped a bombshell yesterday, and somehow, it actually managed to stun the Internet. This is no small feat in today’s never-ending news cycle. Several new measures were announced by the Oscars governing body on Monday, but the most surprising part was that “Academy members must now watch all nominated films in each category to be eligible to vote in the final round for the Oscars”.
Tracking Film Viewings
However, Monday’s announcement didn’t include information about how exactly this new requirement will be enforced. Academy members often watch Oscar-nominated films on the members-only Academy Screening Room app. This new technology makes tracking viewings much easier than in the DVD screener days.
But if a member sees a film elsewhere, like at a guild screening, festival, or theater, then they may have to submit a form stating when and where they viewed the film. Naturally, the accuracy of this new system has raised questions.
Uninformed Voting
In previous years, some anonymous Oscar voters have admitted to not watching all the nominees in a given category before casting their final votes. Voters are expected to abstain from voting in categories they’re unfamiliar with, but there is no system in place to enforce this. As a result, potential errors and uninformed choices may slip through the voting process.
Online Outrage
There’s been an online uproar since the Academy’s announcement yesterday with many expressing disbelief that this rule hadn’t been in place until now. Many users on X have stated:
- “WAIT WHAT?!”
- “imagine implementing such rule 97 years into the existence of the award.”
- “What? This wasn’t a rule? How the heck do you vote for an Oscar if you didn’t watch all the films? LOL”
- “Were they just voting on vibes?”
Additional Academy Updates
Other updates to the awards included a revision to the international feature film category, expanding eligibility to include “film-makers with refugee or asylum status.” Additionally, it was clarified that the use of generative AI in a film would have no impact and would “neither help nor harm” the submission.