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 95th Annual Academy Awards (Oscars). The Academy has opened a call for entry for 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 the 29 August 2022, 17h00. The South African Academy Selection Committee will choose one film as the country's official submission for the International Feature Film Award.
Country-selected films that had a previously planned theatrical release but are initially made available through a reputable commercial streaming distribution service or video on demand may qualify for Awards consideration in the International Feature Film category for the 95th Academy Awards under these provisions:
Provide to the Academy documentation (original document(s) and an English translation) of government-mandated theater/cinema closure dates, previously planned theatrical release and streaming distribution or video on demand agreements;
Meet all other eligibility requirements.
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 theater for paid admission. The International Feature Film Executive Committee will evaluate all matters of rules and eligibility.
Participation in a film festival's online/virtual platform will not affect a film's eligibility for Awards consideration provided the festival has a transactional pay wall or password-protected entry. Film festival participation does not qualify a film in the International Feature Film category. Films must comply with all other eligibility requirements for the 95th Academy Awards.
To be eligible for entry
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.
ELIGIBILITY
The country-selected film must be first released in the country of origin no earlier than January 1, 2022, and no later than November 30, 2022, and be first publicly exhibited for at least seven consecutive days in a commercial motion picture theater for the profit of the producer and exhibitor. Submissions must be in 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 ST 428-1:2006 D-Cinema Distribution Master - Image Characteristics; image compression (if used) conforming to 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 429-2:2020 D-Cinema 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, Center, 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 SMPTE ST 429-3:2007 D-Cinema Packaging - Sound and Picture Track File, SMPTE ST 428-2:2006 D-Cinema Distribution Master - Audio Characteristics and SMPTE ST 428-12:2013 D-Cinema Distribution Master Common Audio Channels and Soundfield Groups. Immersive audio, if present, shall be formatted in conformance with SMPTE ST 2098-2:2019 Immersive Audio Bitstream Specification and SMPTE 429-18:2019 D-Cinema Packaging - Immersive Audio Track File and packaged in conformance with SMPTE 429-19:2019 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 distribution practices. The film need not have been released in the United States.
Films that, in any version, receive a non-theatrical public exhibition or distribution before their qualifying theatrical release will not be eligible for Academy Awards consideration. Non-theatrical public exhibition or distribution includes but is not limited to:
Broadcast and cable television
PPV/VOD
DVD distribution
Inflight airline distribution
Internet transmission
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.
The submitting country must confirm that creative control of the film was largely in the hands of citizens or residents of the submitting country.
Should a selection committee not disclose up-to-date and/or accurate information related to a submitted film's citizenship, business-related affiliation or credit on a selected film, designated credits, production details and release information, a film will be deemed ineligible.
The International Feature Film Executive Committee shall resolve all questions of eligibility and rules.
SUBMISSION
Each country shall be invited to submit its best film to the Academy. Selection of that fi
