Documentaries may need New York Times review for 2013 Oscar eligibility

Documentary filmmakers may have an even harder time getting their films considered for Academy Award eligibility in 2013. According to a story by Michael Cieply of the New York Times News Service, the Academy is considering adding to the many requirements that a film must be reviewed by the New York Times or the Los Angeles Times to be eligible to be nominated for an Oscar.

Documentaries must already complete "both a seven-day commercial run in a theater in Los Angeles County, and a seven-day commercial run in a theater in the Borough of Manhattan during the eligibility period" and screen "at least twice daily and must begin between noon and 10 p.m." The film must require paid admission and run advertising in The New York Times, Time Out New York or The Village Voice or Los Angeles Times or LA Weekly. 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 exhibitions."

Academy representatives said the requirements are meant to narrow the entrants to only theatrical documentaries, rather than films created for television or other outlets. However, it might also severely limit the chances of less-prominent or less-funded filmmakers to get recognition for their works.

The documentary "Semper Fi: Always Faithful," which qualified for eligibility in the 2012 Academy Awards, was not reviewed in either newspapers.

According to Cieply, "A draft of the proposed rule did not specify whether the review had to be included in a print edition, or might run only online. It also did not specify length, or distinguish between the sort of capsule review, which sometimes introduces festival films, and a more elaborate piece of criticism. Reviews by television critics were specifically ruled out."

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