The Oscars will keep honoring human-driven work as AI spreads through filmmaking, Academy president Lynette Howell Taylor tells Variety in Tokyo, while the Academy’s leadership expects to keep refining the international feature rules in the first year of a new route that lets festivals qualify films. Howell Taylor, Academy CEO Bill Kramer, chief membership, impact and industry officer Meredith Shea and Amy Homma, director and president of the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures and Academy Collection, are in Japan for the Tokyo International Film Festival to meet members and filmmakers. Howell Taylor says AI has been part of post-production workflows for a decade and is already built into visual effects, and that the Academy discusses it regularly in relation to eligibility.
Under rules introduced for the 99th Oscars, a non-English-language film can now qualify for international feature without being its country’s official submission by winning the top prize at one of six festivals: the Golden Bear at Berlin, the Busan Award for best film, the Palme d’Or at Cannes, the World Cinema Grand Jury Prize at Sundance, the Platform Award at Toronto and the Golden Lion at Venice. Asked whether eligibility could extend beyond the top prize at qualifying festivals, given that Andrey Zvyagintsev’s “Minotaur” nearly missed out after winning the Grand Prix rather than the Palme d’Or at Cannes, before France selected it as its submission, Shea says: “Each year, the International Feature Executive Committee will review the rules to ensure that they match industry standards. We were so proud this year to have the six festivals and the six highest honors from major international film festivals, and the committee will look at the rules to see how they need to make improvements and different edits just to ensure that it represents global filmmakers.” Shea notes that festival qualification is not new for the Academy.
The three shorts categories – animated, documentary and live action – already use qualifying festivals, as does documentary feature. The initial six festivals for international feature were picked according to their submission numbers and their reach around the world. One was our rule to allow refugee filmmakers who are no longer in their home country to be represented by a country where they’re seeking asylum.
And now we’ve added these six festival awards,” says Kramer. So, we are always looking at ways to invite more filmmakers into that mix. So, this is part of that, and I think you will see that continue.” Howell Taylor says the refugee rule and the festival route were both designed in part to help filmmakers working in exile, whose governments would be unlikely to put their films forward, so that “there are now multiple paths to qualify for an international award rather than just being selected by a home country.” Shea says international feature is one category, and that films can also be submitted for documentary feature, animated feature and Best Picture.
Howell Taylor adds that last year’s Oscars had international representation in every category. The Tokyo visit forms part of a wider push. From our museum exhibitions and programs to our membership – we’re now 25% non-U.S. membership – you’re seeing it in our nominations and awards.
So, we are out in the world meeting with our members and filmmakers.” The Academy has been to Rio, Marrakesh and Morelia, with team members also attending Busan. Kramer says he is “thrilled to be at the Tokyo International Film Festival,” adding: “We’re having an incredible time. Very impressive.” For Shea, festival partners such as Tokyo give the Academy a foothold in each region.
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