©The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
On the 1st, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced new guidelines for applying to the 99th Academy Awards, which is set to occur in 2027. The Academy stated that the acting and writing categories will be limited to work performed by humans, as per the use of AI (artificial intelligence).
According to the announcement, in the acting categories, it is explicitly stated that “only roles performed by humans, as listed in the film’s legal credits and with the performer’s consent, are eligible.” For the screenplay categories, the rules state that “scripts must be written by humans.”
As AI technology continues to impact the film industry, controversy has arisen regarding its use in films. For last year’s awards, the Academy had indicated that it would allow the use of AI within films.
Leonardo DiCaprio can be nominated for Best Actor twice if he performs two great leads in the same year, as explained in Deadline’s article. Having multiple supporting performances would make the same thing apply. In the past, in contrast to other categories, if an actor had movies that received two or three of the top five votes, only the performance that received the most votes would be eligible.
The Academy’s Board of Governors has removed that stipulation to align with the way other categories have always operated. Steven Soderbergh was nominated for Best Director for Erin Brockovich and Traffic in 2000, and won for both.
The release of a film that uses AI to bring the late actor Val Kilmer back to life is pending in the U.S. and other countries. According to local media, the Academy was asked whether Kilmer’s performance in this film would be eligible for an award but declined to comment.
The rules for the International Feature Film category have also been revised. Films that have won top prizes at the Berlin, Busan, Cannes, Sundance, Toronto, and Venice International Film Festivals are now eligible for entry.
It is possible for the same thing to happen now in the acting categories. If an actor has a prolific year, it’s possible that someone will take three of the five nominations. It’s not a certainty, but it’s now possible.
The Best International Film category will undergo a change. In the past, only films selected by a country or region could be nominated. But now, non-English-language films can be nominated by winning a ‘qualifying award’ at an international film festival.
According to Deadline, Berlin (Golden Bear), Busan (Best Film Award), Cannes (Palme d’Or), Sundance (World Cinema Grand Jury Prize), Toronto (Platform Award), and Venice (Golden Lion) will qualify for this year.
In addition, the International Feature Film category will be allocated to the nominee, not the country; consequently, the director’s name will be included on the statuette plaque, which was not the case previously.
AI has been barred from winning any acting or writing awards by the Academy, as only performances that are “demonstrably performed by humans” and screenplays that are “human-authored” are eligible for nomination.