Critics' Choice Awards Considers Adding 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens' to Best Picture Nominees

AWARDS BEAT

The Critics’ Choice Awards, which announced its nominees on Monday, will take the unprecedented step of polling its membership to see if they want to add “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” to the list of Best Picture nominees.

The Broadcast Film Critics Association, which produces the Critics’ Choice Awards and consists of more than 300 TV, radio and Internet critics, emailed its members on Friday in the wake of what it said was an outcry from the membership.

It announced that it will poll its voters on Monday to determine if they would have voted for “The Force Awakens” if they had seen it before the polls closed last week.

Also Read: All 7 'Star Wars' Movies Ranked, From 'New Hope' to 'The Force Awakens'

Read the email below.

Also Read: 'Mad Max: Fury Road' Leads Critics' Choice Awards Nominations

“To the BFCA Membership,

“In the wake of an unprecedented cry out from you – the BFCA Membership – the Board of Directors has decided to poll the membership on Monday to determine whether we should add ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ to our list of Critics’ Choice Award nominees for Best Picture.

“The question will be: If you had seen ‘The Force Awakens’ before casting your Critics’ Choice Awards ballot, would you have included it in your five choices for Best Picture?

“As you know, the studio chose not to screen the film for awards voters in advance of its premiere on Monday. However, our purpose in presenting the Critics’ Choice Awards is to celebrate the finest cinematic achievements of the year. It appears that many members believe ‘The Force Awakens’ deserves to be included.

“In this unique situation, we think this is the best way to proceed.”

The Critics’ Choice ballot asks members to vote for five films in the Best Picture category. If enough members indicate in Monday’s poll that they would have included “The Force Awakens” as one of their five choices, the category will presumably be expanded from 10 to 11 nominees, a first for the organization.

The American Film Institute delayed its vote by more than a week this year, scheduling it to take place just after the first screenings of “The Force Awakens.” The J.J. Abrams film landed on the AFI’s Top 10 list.

The Critics’ Choice Awards will take place on Sunday, Jan. 17, 2016.

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