Oscars Calling for Pakistani Film Makers

The Pakistani Academy Selection Committee invites Pakistani filmmakers to submit their films for Oscar consideration in the ‘International Feature Film Award’ category for the 93^rd Academy Awards by 20^th October 2020, 5:00 PM [PST]. This will mark the eighth consecutive submission by the Pakistani Academy Selection Committee having previously submitted “Zinda Bhaag” in 2013, “Dukhtar” in 2014, “MOOR” in 2015, “Mah-e-Mir” in 2016, “Saawan” in 2017, “Cake” in 2018 and ‘Lal Kabootar’ in 2019 to represent the best of Pakistani cinema for award consideration in the ‘International Feature Film’ category.

The Oscar committee for 2020 is chaired by two-time Academy Award and Emmy winning filmmaker Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy and includes Faisal Kapadia [Musician], Asad-ul-Haq [Director], Maheen Zia [Filmmaker], Hamza Bangash [Filmmaker], Bee Gul [Scriptwriter], Syed Muhd Ahmed [Actor], Mehwish Hayat [Actor], Hasan Shehreyar Yasin [Actor and Designer] and Asim Abbasi [Filmmaker].

The committee will choose one film as Pakistan’s official submission for the, International Feature Film Award’. 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.

For entry forms, submission details and queries, please write to: pakistancommittee@gmail.com.

The unprecedented coronavirus/COVID-19 global pandemic mandated the closure of commercial motion picture theaters worldwide. Until further notice and for the 93^rd Awards year only, 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 category for the 93^rd 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 steaming distribution or video on demand agreements.
The film be made available on the secure Academy Screening Room member site within 60 days of the film being officially selected;
That it meets all other eligibility requirements.

When theaters reopen in accordance with national and local specified guidelines and criteria, and on a date to be determined by the Academy, this rules exemption will no longer apply. All films released thereafter will be expected to comply with the standard International Feature Film category theatrical qualifying 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 Executive Committee will evaluate all matters of rules and eligibility.

Film festivals have been impacted by the coronavirus/COVID-19 pandemic. Participation in an impacted festival’s online/virtual platform will not affect a films’ 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 93rd Academy Awards.

The criteria for eligibility is as follows:

The country-selected film must be first released in the country of origin no earlier than October 1, 2019, and no later than December 31, 2020, 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 either “Interop” or “SMPTE DCP” formats. SMPTE DCP refers to SMPTE ST 429-2 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 audio data shall be formatted in conformance with ST 428-2:2006 D-Cinema Distribution Master – Audio Characteristics and ST 428-12:2013 D-Cinema Distribution Master Common Audio Channels and Soundfield Groups. Immersive audio, if present, shall be formatted in conformance with ST 2098-2:2019 Immersive Audio Bitstream Specification.

2. 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.

3. Films that, in any version, receive a nontheatrical public exhibition or distribution before their first 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
- Inflight airline distribution
- Internet transmission

4. 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.

5. The submitting country must certify that creative control of the film was largely in the hands of citizens or residents of that country.

6. The International Feature Film Executive Committee shall resolve all questions of eligibility and rules.

The Pakistani Academy Selection Committee will announce its nomination for award consideration November 2020.

The Academy Awards, now officially known as The Oscars, are a set of awards given annually for excellence in cinematic achievements. The Oscar statuette is officially named the Academy Award of Merit and is one of nine types of Academy Awards. Organized and are overseen by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS).