The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), an agency of the Department of Sports, Arts and Culture, is extending a call to all South African producers to submit their films for entry into the 98th Annual Academy Awards (Oscars). The Academy has opened a call for entry for the International Feature Film Award, inviting South Africans to submit their feature films for consideration.The NFVF is officially recognised by the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences to make submissions on behalf of the South African Film industry.
The closing date for submissions is 1 August 2025, 17h00. The South African Academy Selection Committee will choose one film as the country's official submission for the International Feature Film Award.
Submission details for the Selection Committee Judging process:
Entrants will be required to submit a dialogue track to confirm and audit the language count of more than 50% non-English dialogue track.
The recording of the original dialogue track as well as the completed picture must be predominantly (more than 50%) in a language or languages other than English. ACCURATE, LEGIBLE ENGLISH LANGUAGE SUBTITLES ARE REQUIRED.
A password-protected link to the film must be provided for viewing purposes by the Committee.
Applicants must provide evidence to show that the creative control of the film is largely in the hands of SA citizens, residents, or individuals with refugee or asylum status in South Africa.
To be eligible, films must be first released in the country of origin and begin no earlier than October 1, 2024, and no later than September 30, 2025, and be first publicly exhibited for at least seven consecutive days in a commercial motion picture theatre for the profit of the producer and exhibitor. In order for films to more easily meet theatrical exhibition requirements, the Academy will allow films to qualify outside the country of origin, provided the film is theatrically exhibited outside of the United States and its territories for at least seven consecutive days in a commercial motion picture theatre for paid admission.
Proof of film being advertised and exploited during its qualifying theatrical release must be provided with the submission.
Film festival participation does not qualify a film for the International Feature Film category.
Films that receive a nontheatrical public exhibition or distribution before their qualifying theatrical release will not be eligible for Academy Awards consideration.
Nontheatrical public exhibition or distribution includes but is not limited to:
Broadcast and cable television
PPV/VOD
DVD distribution
In-flight airline distribution
Internet transmission
Films must comply with all other eligibility requirements for the 98th Academy Awards.
Attached is the link to the rules for the Academy Awards (click here).
(PLEASE REVIEW THE COMPLETE AWARD RULES)
To be eligible for entry
1. DEFINITION
An international film is defined as a feature-length motion picture (over 40 minutes) produced outside the United States of America and its territories with a predominantly (more than 50%) non-English dialogue track. Animated and documentary feature films are permitted.
2. ELIGIBILITY
The country-selected film must be first released in the country of origin and begin no earlier than October 1, 2024, and no later than September 30, 2025, and be first publicly exhibited for at least seven consecutive days in a commercial motion picture theatre for the profit of the producer and exhibitor. The seven consecutive days of the theatrical release are required to occur in one venue. In order for films to more easily meet theatrical exhibition requirements, the Academy will allow films to qualify outside the country of origin, provided the film is theatrically exhibited outside of the United States and its territories for at least seven consecutive days in a commercial motion picture theatre for paid admission.
All motion pictures must be publicly exhibited by means of 35mm or 70mm film, or in a 24- or 48- frame progressive scan Digital Cinema format with a minimum projector resolution of 2048 by 1080 pixels, source image format conforming to the most recent revision of SMPTE ST 428-1 (D-Cinema Distribution Master - Image Characteristics); image compression (if used) conforming to the most recent revision of ISO/IEC 15444-1 (JPEG 2000); and image and sound files packaged as Digital Cinema Packages (DCPs) in the SMPTE DCP format. SMPTE DCP refers to SMPTE ST 429-2 (DCinema Packaging - DCP Operational Constraints) and related specifications. (Blu-ray format does not meet Digital Cinema requirements.)
The audio in a Digital Cinema Package (DCP) is typically 5.1 or 7.1 channels of discrete audio. The minimum for a non-mono configuration of the audio shall be three channels as Left, Centre, Right (a Left/Right configuration is not acceptable in a theatrical environment). In addition to channel-based audio, object-based audio may also be present as an immersive audio bitstream.
The discrete audio data shall be formatted in conformance with the most recent revision of SMPTE ST 429-3 (D-Cinema Packaging - Sound and Picture Track File), SMPTE ST 428-2 (D-Cinema Distribution Master - Audio Characteristics), and SMPTE ST 428-12 (D-Cinema Distribution Master Common Audio Channels and Soundfield Groups). Immersive audio, if present, shall be formatted in conformance with the most recent revision of SMPTE ST 2098-2 (Immersive Audio Bitstream Specification) and SMPTE 429-18 (D-Cinema Packaging - Immersive Audio Track File) and packaged in conformance with the most recent revision of SMPTE 429-19 (D-Cinema Packaging - DCP Operational Constraints for Immersive Audio).
The film must be advertised and exploited during its qualifying theatrical release in a manner considered normal and customary to theatrical feature dist
