Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

1. DEFINITION
   An eligible documentary film is defined as a theatrically released nonfiction motion picture dealing creatively with cultural, artistic, historical, social, scientific, economic or other subjects.  It may be photographed in actual occurrence, or may employ partial reenactment, stock footage, stills, animation, stop-motion or other techniques, as long as the emphasis is on fact and not on fiction.
2. CATEGORIES
   

   The Documentary awards are divided into two categories:

   1. Documentary Feature - motion pictures with a running time of more than 40 minutes, and
   2. Documentary Short Subject - motion pictures with a running time of 40 minutes or less, including all credits.
3. DOCUMENTARY FEATURE

   See Feature Rules

4. DOCUMENTARY SHORT SUBJECT
   1. Eligibility
      
      1. To be eligible for 85th Academy Awards consideration, a documentary short subject must complete a seven-day commercial run in a theater in either Los Angeles County or the Borough of Manhattan, during the eligibility period. 
      2. The eligibility period for documentary short subjects begins on January 1, 2012, and ends on December 31, 2012.  All paperwork must be completed and received by the Academy no later than 30 days after the end of the qualifying run.  For films completing their qualifying run after August 1, 2012, all paperwork, including legal contracts, must be completed and received by the Academy by 5 p.m. PT on Monday, September 3, 2012.
      3. The qualifying run must take place within two years of the motion picture’s completion date.  The picture must be submitted in the same Awards year in which it first qualifies.  Documentaries submitted for the 85th Academy Awards in any category will not be eligible for consideration in subsequent Awards years in any category.
      4. The picture must be exhibited using 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 file formats suitable for exhibition in commercial Digital Cinema sites.

         The audio in a typical Digital Cinema Package (DCP) is 5.1 channels of discrete audio and that is the preferred audio configuration, although up to 7.1 channels is acceptable.  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). 

         The audio data shall be formatted in conformance with ST 428-2:2006 D-Cinema Distribution Master – Audio Characteristics and ST 428-3:2006 D-Cinema Distribution Master – Audio Channel Mapping and Channel Labeling.

      5. Screenings in the qualifying run must occur at least once daily and begin between noon and 10 p.m.  The motion picture must be exhibited for paid admission, and must be advertised during its run in a major newspaper: The New York Times, Time Out New York or The Village Voice (New York); Los Angeles Times or LA Weekly (Los Angeles).  Advertisements must have minimum dimensions of one inch by two inches and must include the theater, film title and the dates and screening times of the qualifying exhibition.  Advertising must begin on the first day of the qualifying run.
      6. Works that are essentially promotional or instructional are not eligible, nor are works that are essentially unfiltered records of performances.
      7. Only individual documentary works are eligible.  This excludes from consideration:
         • episodes extracted from a larger series,
         • segments taken from a single "composite" program,
         • alternate versions of ineligible works, and
         • documentary short subjects created from materials substantially taken from or cut down from completed, publicly exhibited feature-length documentaries.
      8. The significant dialogue or narration must be in English, or the entry must have English-language subtitles.
      9. Films that, in any version, receive their first public exhibition or distribution in any manner other than as a theatrical motion picture release will not be eligible for Academy Awards.  (This includes broadcast and cable television as well as home video marketing and Internet transmission, with the exception of password-protected Internet screenings for press review or film festival submission.)  Up to ten percent of the running time of a film is allowed to be shown in a nontheatrical medium prior to the film’s theatrical release. 
   2. Submission
      
      1. A Theatrical Screening Information Form informing the Academy of the details of the qualifying run must be filed with the Awards office before the run begins.
      2. Entrants (including non-U.S. entrants) must have submitted to the Academy a fully completed Official Entry Form, 30 DVDs of the entry, without trailers or other extraneous material, capable of playing on Region 1/NTSC DVD players, and all other required materials by 5 p.m. PT on the dates listed in Paragraph IV.A.2 above.
   3. Voting
      
      1. Documentaries will be viewed by Documentary Branch members, who will use an averaged score system to produce an eight-picture shortlist.  Three to five nominees will then be chosen by a second round of balloting, using the averaged score system.
      2. Final voting shall be restricted to active and life Academy members who have viewed all of the nominated documentaries in a theatrical setting.  Viewing nominated works on "screeners" will not qualify a member for a ballot in the category, with the exception of those Documentary Branch members who have participated in the nominations selection process.
   4. Copies Required
      
      1. In addition to the 30 DVDs required for the first round of balloting, filmmakers whose entries are voted onto the shortlist must submit another 50 DVDs, without trailers or other extraneous material, capable of playing on Region 1/NTSC DVD players, by 5 p.m. PT on Monday, October 15, 2012.
      2. The creators of the shortlisted documentaries must submit either two 35mm or 70mm film prints or two DCP versions of the documentary by 5 p.m. PT on Monday, October 15, 2012.  Following the nominations screenings, one copy of the work shall become the property of the Academy Film Archive.
   5. Nominees and Award Recipients
      
      1. The nominee(s) should be the individual(s) most involved in the key creative aspects of the filmmaking process.  A maximum of two persons may be designated as nominees, one of whom must be the credited director who exercised directorial control, and the other of whom must have a producer or director credit.  If a producer is named, that individual must have performed a major portion of the producing functions, in accordance with Academy producer criteria.  All individuals with a "Producer" or "Produced by" credit on films that reach the semifinal round will automatically be vetted.  The Documentary Branch Executive Committee will determine which producer, if any, is eligible to receive an Oscar.  In the unlikely event of a dispute, filmmakers may appeal the Committee’s decision.
      2. Production companies or persons with the screen credit of executive producer, co-producer or any credit other than director or producer shall not be eligible as nominees for the motion picture.
   6. Advertising and Publicity Restrictions
      Only documentaries that receive nominations or Academy Awards may refer to their Academy endorsements in advertising and publicity materials. A film that is selected for the shortlist may not identify itself as an "Academy Award finalist," "Academy Award shortlist film" or the like except when it appears in a program consisting entirely of such films.
   7. Other Rules
      The Documentary Branch Executive Committee shall resolve all questions of eligibility or rules.

If a documentary film reaches the semifinal round, all credited producers will be required to complete a Producer Eligibility Form describing the exact nature of the work they performed for the film.
Working in close cooperation with a documentary director, a documentary producer's functions include active involvement in at least two-thirds of the following (each of which are not necessarily equally weighted.)

1. Conceiving the underlying concept or selecting the material on which the production is based
2. Securing any necessary rights
3. Selecting and hiring any writers and collaborating on the development of the treatment/outline
4. Securing financing
5. Selecting and engaging the director, when applicable
6. Managing rights, clearances, insurance and all legal issues throughout production
7. Selecting and securing people to film/interview
8. Selecting and securing shooting locations
9. Selecting and briefing the cinematographer
10. Preparing the final budget
11. Preparing the shooting schedule
12. Selecting and securing all necessary production components, including equipment
13. Designing and managing production workflow
14. Selecting and briefing the editor and editorial staff
15. Supervising and approving day-to-day expenditures and cost reports as they relate to the final budget
16. Supervising the day-to-day operation of the production crew
17. Resolving day-to-day disputes and conflicts related to the production
18. Ongoing viewing and appraising of raw footage with the director and editor
19. Constantly evaluating the film's progress and need for additional shooting/interviews
20. Selecting and briefing the composer and/or music supervisor
21. Selecting and securing all post-production/editorial equipment and managing post-production workflow
22. Viewing and appraising all cuts
23. Spotting music and sound effects
24. Supervising the music recording session
25. Supervising all sound mixing sessions
26. Conceiving and approving titles and graphics
27. Approving the final print (film or digital)
28. Planning and securing distribution
29. Collaborating on the marketing, publicity and distribution plans for the motion picture
30. Collaborating on the plans for exploitation of the motion picture in foreign and ancillary markets

1. Can my film play on television, cable, pay per view, on demand, the Internet, or in other similar venues and still be eligible for Academy Award consideration?
   Yes, but not before its theatrical release has begun.
2. My film was broadcast on television in a foreign country for one night before it opened theatrically in the U.S. Is it still eligible?
   No. Television broadcast of any kind anywhere in the world that takes place before a documentary's qualifying theatrical release disqualifies it from Awards consideration.
3. What about DVD sales?
   DVD sales are allowed on the first day of a theatrical run.
4. What about schools and film festivals?
   Documentaries may play in schools and at film festivals without affecting their eligibility.
5. Does this mean I can't run a trailer on the Internet?
   Trailers are fine as long as the footage totals no more than ten minutes or ten percent of the film's running time, whichever is less.
6. I would like to name the executive producer as the second possible nominee for my film.
   Only individuals with a director or producer credit are eligible to receive an Oscar in the Documentary categories.
7. The entry form only allows for two possible nominees but another person who worked on the film definitely deserves an Award.
   A maximum of two individuals may receive the Oscar for any documentary. In extremely rare circumstances, a third individual may be added on a feature documentary.
8. My film has already opened and I didn't realize I had to submit a Theatrical Screening Information Form before that. What can I do?
   Call the Awards Office and request a form as soon as possible.
9. My assistant filled out the form and made some mistakes. Will you make the changes?
   It is your responsibility as the filmmaker to make sure that all information on the entry form is accurate. When you sign the entry form, you are agreeing that the information on the form is correct.
10. 10. I hired a company to take care of the submission, but they did not film out the forms correctly and they forgot to mail it on time. What can I do.
    Again, it is the filmmaker's responsibility to make sure that all paperwork is correct and arrives at the Academy by the deadline.
11. Does an HD-Cam or Blu-Ray meet the digital requirements?
    Only a Digital Cinema Package (DCP) meets our digital requirements.
12. I submitted my documentary last year, but since then I've added different material and removed other material. Can I submit it again?
    No. We do not accept works in progress; the version submitted to the Academy must be the final and definitive version of your film.
13. My film won awards at several film festivals. Can I include that information on the DVD?
    The DVD should include only the film you are submitting without any additional information or special features. The DVD label must show only the title and running time. No contact information should be included.
14. What advertisements are required?
    The ad may be as simple or as elaborate as you wish. However, it must be a minimum of one inch by two inches and must include the film title, exhibition times and dates for all screenings of the film. The ad must run in The New York Times, Time Out New York or The Village Voice (New York); Los Angeles Times or LA Weekly (Los Angeles). We hope that you want an audience for your film as much as we do and will advertise your film with that in mind.