New Zealand Doco Film Festival Scores an Additional Oscar Qualification!
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (The Academy) confirmed today the list of documentary feature qualifying
film festivals. Doc Edge, New Zealand’s international documentary film festival, made the prestigious list. www.oscars.org/rules
In April 2018, the Academy announced new rules for the Oscars, delivering good news to feature documentary makers. In
the past, entries were required to complete a minimum run of seven days in at least one cinema in Los Angeles or New
York. This was extremely difficult and costly to achieve, especially for international films. Now, documentaries that
win a prize at a selected “competitive festival” will automatically become eligible for Oscar consideration.
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In 2016, Doc Edge Festival became an Oscar-qualifying festival for the Short Documentary Subject category, and under the
new rules, it is now also qualified for the Feature Documentary Subject category.
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Ruckus Media and Kiwi Director Mitchell Hawkes won big at the recent 13th Doc Edge Festivalfor the moving and intimate feature film Stan and short film Born This Way: Awa’s Story. The Academy confirmed that both films are eligible to submit for Oscar consideration this year. Talal Derki’s film Of Fathers and Sons, winner of the Doc Edge Best International Feature Film category, is also eligible for consideration.
Doc Edge Executive Director Dan Shanan said, “We are honoured Doc Edge’s reputation and work to date led to this taonga. As the only Oscar-qualifying festival in NZ
for both short and feature length documentaries, this is a huge opportunity for filmmakers, especially local films, to
get fast-tracked for Oscar consideration and bring the documentary Oscars home.”
Doc Edge Festival 2019 submissions will open in July with new rules regarding film eligibility and premiere status. More
details will be available on www.docedge.nz
The Academy Award nominated film Finding Vivian Maier screens this weekend in Auckland (Academy Cinemas) and Wellington (Nga Taonga Sound & Vision) as part of the Doc Edge Presents monthly screenings. http://docedge.nz/docedge-presents/