Oscar Feature Films Guide & Awards Season Coverage

Empty cinema interior with rows of seats facing a softly lit movie screen featuring the Oscar Feature title.

Context and quick takes on the Academy Award–nominated feature films.

Animated

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Documentary

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International

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What Counts as an Oscar Feature?

Run time of more than 40 minutes.
Eligibility period is Jan. 1, 2025 – Dec. 31, 2025.
Must be submitted in the same Awards year in which it first qualifies.
Must qualify through a 7-day U.S. theatrical run in a qualifying market or as a country’s International Feature submission.
Documentary may also qualify by winning a designated Academy-recognized festival award within the eligibility window (Oct. 1, 2024 – Sep. 30, 2025)

Official Academy eligibility rules →

Animated

Definition:
Films in which animation is the primary storytelling tool, with movement created through human-crafted techniques rather than captured live performance. At least 75 percent of the film’s runtime, excluding credits, must be animated, and animation must drive the narrative rather than simply enhance.

Who Votes:
Nominations: Animation Branch and opt-in Academy Members meeting viewing requirements
Winner: Academy Members

Documentary

Definition:
Nonfiction films that explore real people, events, or issues, using factual storytelling as the foundation. Documentary shorts may incorporate reenactments, archival footage, stills, animation, or other techniques, but the emphasis must remain on truth and real-world subject matter rather than fictional narrative.

Who Votes:
Shortlist & Nominations: Documentary Branch
Winner: Academy Members

International

Definition:
Narrative, documentary, or animated films produced outside the United States, with the majority of spoken dialogue in a language other than English. Each country selects one official submission through its approved selection process, with the film’s creative control required to be largely in the hands of citizens or residents of that country.

Who Votes:
Shortlist: Opt-in Academy Members meeting viewing requirements
Nominations : All Academy Members who view all nominated films
Winners: Academy Members