Oscars: Academy Reveals List Of Eligible Documentary, Animation & International Features
A healthy 35 features are eligible for consideration in the Animated Feature Film category for the 98th Academy Awards, meaning a full total of five nominees will be likely, as long as all meet the requirements before the end of the year. Some of the films have not yet had their required qualifying release and must fulfill that requirement and comply with all the category’s other qualifying rules to advance in the voting process.
Following last weekend’s Governors Awards, we now have another sign that Oscar season is moving into high gear with the release of official qualified entries named today by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences for consideration in Animated Feature Film, Documentary Feature Film, and International Feature Film.
A healthy 35 features are eligible for consideration in the Animated Feature Film category for the 98th Academy Awards, meaning a full total of five nominees will be likely, as long as all meet the requirements before the end of the year. Some of the films have not yet had their required qualifying release and must fulfill that requirement and comply with all the category’s other qualifying rules to advance in the voting process.
To determine the five nominees, members of the Animation Branch are automatically eligible to vote in the category. Academy members outside of the Animation Branch are invited to opt in to participate and must meet a minimum viewing requirement to be eligible to vote in the category. Films submitted in the Animated Feature Film category may also qualify for Academy Awards in other categories, including Best Picture although none have been in the past 14 years since Pixar films like Toy Story 3 and Up managed the feat respectively in 2010 and 2009. Previous to that, only Beauty And The Beast was a Best Picture nominee in 1991, before the Animated Feature category was even created. Animated features that have been submitted in the International Feature Film category as their country’s official selection are also eligible in the category as was the case with the 2024 winner, Flow which was also an International Film nominee.
Two-hundred-one features are eligible for consideration in the Documentary Feature Film category this year. Again, some of the films have not yet had their required qualifying release and must fulfill that requirement and comply with all the category’s other qualifying rules to advance in the voting process.
Documentary features that have won a qualifying film festival award or have been submitted in the International Feature Film category as their country’s official selection are also eligible in the category. Films submitted in the Documentary Feature Film category may also qualify for Academy Awards in other categories, including Best Picture though none have ever been nominated to date. Members of the Documentary Branch vote to determine the shortlist and the nominees. The shortlist of 15 films will be announced on Tuesday, December 16, 2025, as well as shortlists for Live Action and Animated Shorts.
Eighty-six countries or regions have submitted films that are eligible for consideration in the International Feature Film category which is not a record in the category formerly known as Best Foreign Language Film.An international feature film is defined as a feature-length motion picture (more than 40 minutes) produced outside the United States with a predominantly (more than 50%) non-English dialogue track. For instance Norway’s front running has several scenes in English, mostly pertaining to co-star Elle Fanning’s significant role, but it did not time out to be more than half so the film is eligible here as well as in most other categories since any International entry that qualifies with at least a one-week theatrical release can compete in regular categories where it applies. There are also several rule changes over the years that allow countries to submit films that may not be significantly, or at all, in the language of that country, such as this year’s Iranian Cannes Palme d’Or winner, which was submitted as the official French entry due to other reasons such as financing or residency of its filmmakers. The political nature of the film was felt to be a non-starter as a likely selection from Iran itself even though its director Jafar Panahi continues to live in Iran and the film is completely set in the country.Academy members from all branches are invited to opt in to participate in the preliminary round of voting and must meet a minimum viewing requirement to be eligible to vote in the category. The shortlist of 15 films will also be announced on December 16.