Deadline for 2023 submissions: 31 July 2023

  1. The committee will meet two times per year to review submissions, or as needed. The Chairperson will be appointed by the Film Cambodia Organization president and shall serve a term of three years. Committee members are invited by the COSC Chairperson to serve a term of three years.

Committee members (including the Chairperson) are required to adhere to the following term limits:

   1. Selection committee members (including the Chairperson) can serve for six years (consecutive and/or cumulative).

   2. After six years, selection committee members (including the Chairperson) are required to take a two-year hiatus.

   3. After the two-year hiatus is completed, the term limits will continue cyclically (selection committee members can serve another six years of service, after which they are required to take another mandatory two-year hiatus.

2. The committee will be made up of 50% artists/craftspeople from the field of motion pictures in Cambodia. There is a minimum of 5 voting members, with no maximum. All committee members must be citizens of Cambodia. If a committee member participates in a film for consideration, they must step down for that year.

 1. Filmmakers who meet the minimum Academy requirements must submit their film using the COSC form up by 31 July of each year. 

2. COSC forms will be submitted to the Chairperson, who will notify all committee members of consideration and to arrange voting (Filmmakers are responsible for making sure committee members screen their film).

3. Films will be screened by members at a theatrical venue and/or by computer for closer scrutiny, if deemed necessary by committee members. Streaming is allowed if no other screening can be arranged.

4. Committee members will contribute their professional opinions about films under consideration at the scheduled committee meeting. Members are asked to consider the following: story, direction, acting, cinematography, sound, music and universal theme. 

5. FIRST ROUND: Committee members will vote “yes” or “no” on each film after deliberations. If there is only one qualifying film, and the majority of committee members vote “yes,” the film is accepted directly for submission to the Academy. If there is more than one film being considered, but only one film receives a majority yes/no vote, that film will be accepted directly for submission to the Academy. In the case of more than one film receiving a majority yes/no vote, those films will continue to a second round. 

6. SECOND ROUND: Committee members will have a new deliberation and then each vote on seven ballots: story, direction, acting, cinematography, sound, music and universal theme. Members will choose a number between 1 and 10, with 10 being the highest. The Chairperson will then tally the votes and the film with the highest score will be accepted for submission to the Academy.

Filmmakers may contact the COSC liaison directly to notify the committee of their intention to submit a film. The filmmaker will then be provided specific details about qualifications, in particular the eligibility requirements so that their film will not be disqualified by not following the Academy's rules.

It is important to understand these requirements BEFORE a film is screened in a cinema, because no changes can be made to the submission after the qualifying release.

Here is a simplified list of basic requirements (the Academy updates its specific rules and regulations for submissions for the International Feature Film category each year):

1. The film must be feature-length - over 40 minutes - and produced outside the United States of America.

2. More than 50% of dialogue must be a language other than English. Khmer is preferred. Accurate, legible English subtitles are required.

3. Animated and documentary films are permitted.

4. The film must be released in cinemas in Cambodia for a minimum of seven (7) consecutive days between 1 November 2023 and 30 September 2024 for the 97th Academy Awards.

5. The theatrical release must be with an exhibition contract for profit (no rental of cinemas).

6. In the case of coproductions, it is possible that the qualifying theatrical release can be in another country outside the United States.

7. Technical - format: 35mm or 70mm film, 24 or 48-frame progressive scan Digital Cinema Package (DCP).

8. Technical - projection: minimum projector resolution of 2048 by 1080 pixels.

9. Technical - audio: minimum configuration is three channels - Left, Right, Center. The audio in a Digital Cinema Package (DCP) is typically 5.1 or 7.1 channels of discrete audio.

10. The film must be "advertised and exploited during its qualifying theatrical release in a manner considered normal and customary to theatrical feature distribution practices" (this means more than just Facebook!)

11. Film may NOT be exhibited or distributed before the qualifying theatrical release by other formats such as (but not limited to): Broadcast and cable television, PPV/VOD, DVD, Inflight airlines, Internet transmission.

12. The majority of "creative control" must be "citizens or residents" of Cambodia.

13. Advertising restrictions apply to the film submitted by the COSC, and the filmmaker will be made aware of these restrictions.

For a complete list of rules, please visit the Academy website: https://www.oscars.org/oscars/rules-eligibility