Over the course of my Preliminary 2011 Oscar Contenders a few people have been commenting and emailing in suggesting last year’s Foreign Language Oscar nominee A Prophet should be included on the list seeing how it was only nominated as France’s Foreign Language submission in 2009, but then received an official domestic release this past February.
I was quite confident it wasn’t eligible, but didn’t want to put my foot in my mouth so while emailing back-and-forth with Tom O’Neil at Gold Derby we have learned the Oscar rules clearly state it is not eligible due to being nominated in a prior year.
Here is how the “Special Rules for the Foreign Language Film Award” reads in Section VI, Rule C:
Motion pictures that are nominated for the Foreign Language Film award shall not be eligible for Academy Awards consideration in any category in any subsequent Awards year. Submitted pictures that are not nominated for the Foreign Language Film award are eligible for Awards consideration in other categories in the subsequent year, provided the pictures begin their seven-day qualifying run in Los Angeles County during that calendar year.
Strangely enough Sony Pictures Classics picked up A Prophet way back in May of 2009 prior to it becoming the grand prize winner at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival, giving them more than enough time to release it for 2009 Oscar contention, but instead decided to focus their attention on The White Ribbon and An Education. Of course, they had no say in what film France would submit for Best Foreign Language Feature, but considering the wealth of awards and praise A Prophet earned throughout 2009 it does come as a bit of a surprise considering I would have to assume SPC knew all about the Foreign Language rules beforehand.
So, as much as I loved A Prophet and made it right here.
