Oscars 2025: Major Rule Changes Include AI Ban for Acting Awards and New International Film Submission Process

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has unveiled significant rule changes for the 99th Academy Awards, including a ban on AI-generated actors for acting awards, expanded nomination opportunities for actors, and a major overhaul of the Best International Feature Film submission process.

AI Restrictions for Acting and Screenwriting Categories

The Academy explicitly barred AI contributions in six key categories:

• Acting Awards: Only roles “demonstrably performed by humans with their consent” are eligible for nomination.
• Screenwriting: Screenplays must be “human-authored” to qualify.
• Overall Qualifying: The Academy reserves the right to request additional details about the use and human authorship of submitted works.

These changes represent the strongest stance yet from the Academy against AI-generated content in Oscar-eligible categories.

Actors Now Eligible for Multiple Nominations in the Same Category

Previously, if an actor received sufficient votes for two nominations in a single category, they would only be nominated for the film with the highest vote total. The new rules now allow actors to receive multiple nominations in the same category, aligning acting categories with other Oscar categories.

Historically, this scenario has been rare. Only eleven actors have achieved dual nominations in the same year, including Scarlett Johansson in 2019. In all prior cases, one nomination was in the lead category and the other in supporting. (Barry Fitzgerald was an exception, nominated in both lead and supporting for Going My Way before rules were later adjusted to prevent this.)

Revolutionary Changes to the Best International Feature Film Category

The Academy has scrapped the longstanding rule requiring one submission per country, a policy in place since the category’s inception in the 1950s. This change addresses criticisms that worthy films were excluded due to selection decisions by their home countries.

Under the new rules, films can qualify for the Best International Feature Film category in two ways:

1. Being officially submitted by their country of origin.
2. Winning the top award at one of six designated film festivals:

• Berlin International Film Festival
• Busan International Film Festival
• Cannes Film Festival
• Sundance Film Festival (World Cinema Grand Jury Prize)
• Toronto International Film Festival
• Venice International Film Festival

If these rules had been in effect in recent years, several films would have qualified without a country submission, including:

• Cannes Palme d’Or winners Anatomy of a Fall and Titane
• The Room Next Door and Happening (Venice)
• Yellow Letters and Dreams (Sex Love) (Berlin)
• Gloaming in Luomo (Busan)
• To the Victory and They Will Be Dust (Toronto)
• Shame and Money and Cactus Pears (Sundance)

The Academy estimates this change will expand the number of qualifying films in the category by four or five each year.