The Academy’s Best Foreign Language Film category has always had one hard-and-fast rule: To vote for a film in the nominations round of voting, you have to see it in a theater.
And despite recent rule changes designed to make it easier for voters to participate in the category, the longtime chairman of the Foreign Language Film Award Executive Committee, Mark Johnson, told TheWrap on Thursday that the theaters-only rule remains in place.
In an interview in which he clarified some of the new rules, Johnson said that the prohibition on voting for films after viewing them on screeners or screening links remains in place. But, he added, “Without being able to be specific, I think that we can anticipate in the very near future some changes in terms of whether or not you have to see a film theatrically.
“What we’re trying to do is to encourage as many members to be involved in the selection process as possible, and as many foreign-based members to be involved as well. Obviously, if you’re in Madrid, you can’t go to an official Academy screening. So I think we’re on the verge of making some dramatic changes.”
But could those changes affect this year’s race, in which members screenings of all 92 eligible films will begin a week from Monday? “Maybe,” he said. “I can promise that we have some very healthy discussions going on.”
For now, though, members who wish to vote in the category will need to see the eligible films at AMPAS screenings, which will take place at the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn and Linwood Dunn theaters from mid October through early December, or at outside screenings of the films, including TheWrap’s Foreign Language Screening Series.
In the past, voters have been separated into different color-coded groups, each of which is asked to attend a series of specific screenings (typically double features). Those committees have been eliminated, with each member instead assigned a specific group of films to see.
But Johnson said that members who can’t make it to every film on the “required viewing list” will be able to make up for it by seeing other films. “You’ll need to see a minimum of about 15 for your vote to count,” he said. “What I keep telling everybody is to see as many as you can – and if you don’t see enough to qualify, you’ve still seen some great movies from around the world.”
The goal of the new rules, he said, is to make it more flexible for members to choose the films they see and the screenings they attend. And because the voters give each film a number grade on the scale of 6 to 10, the results are based on average grades and won’t be skewed if some films are seen by far more viewers than others.
“We’re doing whatever we can to increase the number of members who can participate,” he said. “We’re desperately eager to do that, and so far we’ve had more early interest than we’ve ever had.” Part of that, he said, comes from the fact that new Academy president John Bailey is an avid fan of foreign-language films who has personally encouraged members to vote in the category.
Another recent change did away with the conflict-of-interest rule that prevented members who had worked on or promoted one of the contenders from voting. Johnson said he expects that change to “slightly expand” the number of participating members, as well as bringing the category in line with the rest of the Oscar categories.
“I love the tradition of this category, but as times changes so do our rules need to,” he said. “I think maybe it was my mistake, and we should have proposed getting rid of the conflict-of-interest rule long ago.
“Listen, there’s no secret that I’ll probably vote for ‘Downsizing’ for Best Picture,” added Johnson, who produced that Alexander Payne movie. “Why shouldn’t that be able to happen here too?”
Phase 2 of the foreign-language nominating process, in which hand-picked committees view the nine shortlisted films and vote for the five nominees, will also undergo a change this year, Johnson said. In addition to the usual committees in Los Angeles, New York and London, a fourth committee will be added in San Francisco. In addition, he said, there’s been talk of expanding the number of Phase 2 committee members, which is currently set at 20 in L.A. and 10 in New York and London.
Of course, all of these tweaks won’t change the fact that foreign-language voters are facing a truly daunting task this year, with the 92 eligible films setting a new record for contenders in the category. (The old record, set last year, was 85.)
“It’s an astonishing number,” Johnson said. “On one hand it’s great that international filmmaking is so vibrant, that countries are making films and deeming them worthy of this competition. On the other hand, it’s a huge challenge for us.
“Some of us on the executive committee went to a screening of [the Lebanese entry] ‘The Insult’ the other day. And as we were leaving, one of them turned me me and said, ‘One down, 91 to go.'”
117 Amazing Portraits From TheWrap's Toronto Studio, From Angelina Jolie to Jim Carrey (Photos)
Actors Margot Robbie, Sebastian Stan, Allison Janney and director Craig Gillespie, "I, Tonya"
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Actress-producer Margot Robbie, "I, Tonya"
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Margot Robbie, "I, Tonya"
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Actress Allison Janney, "I, Tonya"
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Sebastian Stan, "I, Tonya"
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Helen Mirren, "The Leisure Seeker"
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Helen Mirren, "The Leisure Seeker"
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"Jim & Andy: The Great Beyond" Jim Carrey
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Jim Carrey, "Jim & Andy: The Great Beyond"
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Director Chris Smith, "Jim & Andy: The Great Beyond"
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Actor Benedict Cumberbatch, "The Current War"
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Michael Shannon, "The Current War"
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Director Alfonso Gomez-Rejon with actors Benedict Cumberbatch, Michael Shannon and Nicholas Hoult, "The Current War"
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Director Angelina Jolie, "First They Killed My Father"
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Director Angelina Jolie with producer Rithy Panh, stars Kimhak Mun, Sareum Srey Moch and co-writer Luong Ung, "First They Killed My Father"
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Writer-director Greta Gerwig, "Lady Bird"
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Greta Gerwig, "Lady Bird"
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Actress Laurie Metcalf, "Lady Bird"
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Actor Tracy Letts, "Lady Bird"
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Brie Larson, "Unicorn Store"
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Actor Sam Rockwell, "Woman Walks Ahead"
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Emma Thompson and Stanley Tucci, "The Children Act"
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Writer Ian McEwan, actor Stanley Tucci, director Richard Eyre and actors Emma Thompson and Duncan Kenworthy, "The Children Act"
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Stanley Tucci, "The Children Act"
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"Outside In" director Lynn Shelton with her cast Jay Duplass, Kaitlyn Dever and Edie Falco
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Jay Duplass, "Outside In"
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Edie Falco, "Outside In"
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Kaitlyn Dever, "Outside In"
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Director Lynn Shelton, "Outside In"
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Jake Gyllenhaal, "Stronger"
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Tatiana Maslany, "Stronger"
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Miranda Richardson, "Stronger"
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"Stronger" star Jake Gyllenhaal with Jeff Bauman, the Boston Marathon bombing survivor he plays in the fiilm
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Writer Jeff Bauman, "Stronger"
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Actor Cedric the Entertainer, "First Reformed"
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Cedric the Entertainer, "First Reformed"
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Cedric the Entertainer and director Paul Schrader "First Reformed"
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Director Paul Schrader, "First Reformed"
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Actors Aaron Pederson, Abbey Lee, Matt Nable, Simone Kessell, Josh McConville and Ryan Corr, "1%"
Abbey Lee, "1%"
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Actress Simone Kessel, "1%"
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Actor Ed Harris, "Kodachrome"
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Actor Ed Harris and director Mark Raso, "Kodachrome"
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Mark Raso, "Kodachrome"
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Writer-producer Jeremy Chilnick, writer-director-producer Morgan Spurlock and producer Matthew Galkin, "Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken"
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Producer Matthew Galkin, "Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken"
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Writer-producer Jeremy Chilnick, "Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken"
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Writer-director-producer-star Morgan Spurlock, "Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken"
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Morgan Spurlock, "Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken"
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Director Joseph Kahn, "Bodied"
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Actress Rory Uphold, "Bodied"
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Actor Calum Worthy, "Bodied"
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Director Armando Iannucci, "The Death of Stalin"
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Director Darren Aronofsky, "mother!"
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Director Darren Aronofsky, "mother!"
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Willem Dafoe, Bria Vinaite, Brooklynn Prince and Sean Baker, "The Florida Project"
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Willem Dafoe, "The Florida Project"
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Director-star James Franco, "The Disaster Artist"
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Director-star James Franco, "The Disaster Artist"
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Actor Dave Franco, "The Disaster Artist"
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Actor Dave Franco, "The Disaster Artist"
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Screenwriters Scott Neustadter and Michael Weber, "The Disaster Artist"
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Alison Brie, "The Disaster Artist"
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Alison Brie, "The Disaster Artist"
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Ari Graynor, "The Disaster Artist"
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Actress Jessica Chastain, "Molly's Game" and "Woman Walks Ahead"
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Actress Jessica Chastain, director Susanna White and Michael Greyeyes, "Woman Walks Ahead"
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Actress Julianne Nicholson, "Who We Are Now"
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Zachary Quinto, "Who We Are Now"
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Actor Josh Lucas, "Mark Felt"
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Selma Blair, "Mom and Dad"
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Selma Blair and Nicolas Cage, "Mom and Dad"
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Co-directors Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady, "One of Us"
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Director Kyle Rideout, "Public Schooled"
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Judy Greer "Public Schooled"
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Actor Eddie Izzard, "Victoria & Abdul"
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Actor Ali Fazal, "Victoria & Abdul"
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Actress Elisabeth Moss, "The Square"
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Actor Terry Notary, "The Square"
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Director Ruben Ostland, "The Square"
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Actor Claes Bang, "The Square"
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Screenwriter Anthony McCarten, "Darkest Hour"
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Writer Anthony McCarten, stars Ben Mendelsohn, Gary Oldman and Kristin Scott Thomas with director Joe Wright, "Darkest Hour"
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Actor Ben Mendelsohn, "Darkest Hour"
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Actor Gary Oldman, "Darkest Hour"
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Gary Oldman, "Darkest Hour"
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Actress Kristin Scott Thomas, "Darkest Hour"
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Director Joe Wright, "Darkest Hour"
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Actor Nahuel Peres Biscayar, "BPM (Beats Per Minute)"
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Actor Arnaud Valois, "BPM (Beats Per Minute)"
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Director John Curran with actors Jim Gaffigan, Ed Helms and Kate Mara, writers Andrew Logan and Taylor Allen, "Chappaquiddick"
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"Chappaquiddick" director John Curran
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Kate Mara, "Chappaquiddick"
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Kate Mara, "Chappaquiddick"
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Jim Gaffigan, "Chappaquiddick"
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Ed Helms, "Chappaquiddick"
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Director Dan Gilroy, "Roman J. Israel, Esq."
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Actress Diane Kruger, "In the Fade"
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Actress Diane Kruger, "In the Fade"
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Director Alexander Payne, "Downsizing"
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Actors Christoph Waltz, Hong Chau and director Alexander Payne, "Downsizing"
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Actor Christoph Waltz, "Downsizing"
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Actress Hong Chau, "Downsizing"
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Actors Wes Studi, Rosamund Pike, direcor Scott Cooper, Christian Bale and Jonathan Majors, "Hostiles"
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Actor Simon Baker, "Breath"
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Simon Baker, "Breath"
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Director Neil Burger, "The Upside"
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Writer-director Martin McDonagh, "Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri"
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Director and co-writer Dee Rees, "Mudbound"
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Actor Jason Mitchell, "Mudbound"
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Rob Morgan, "Mudbound"
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Jason Mitchell and Rob Morgan, "Mudbound"
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Actors Garrett Hedlund, Jason Mitchell, director Dee Rees, actors Rob Morgan and Carey Mulligan, "Mudbound"
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Garrett Hedlund, "Mudbound"
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Writer-director Robin Campillo, "BPM (Beats Per Minute)"
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Directors Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris, "Battle of the Sexes"
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Screenwriter Simon Beaufoy, "Battle of the Sexes"
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Brady Jandreau, "The Rider"
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TIFF 2017: Jake Gyllenhaal, Helen Mirren, Benedict Cumberbatch and more sit down to talk about their latest projects
Actors Margot Robbie, Sebastian Stan, Allison Janney and director Craig Gillespie, "I, Tonya"
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