Alliance to Help Film Shorts Skirt Academy Ruling

Responding to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ recent ruling banning any film from being nominated for an Oscar if it debuts on the Internet, IFILM and AMC Theaters have formed a partnership to create a theatrical showcase for selected shorts.

For a film to be considered for a nomination, the academy requires a three-day theatrical run, either in festivals or in movie houses. Reacting to the growing number of Internet film sites--particularly for short films--on June 13 the academy voted to disqualify any film shown on the Web before a theatrical release.

So IFILM, a major film industry Web site, and AMC coordinated their efforts to make sure filmmakers could satisfy the academy’s requirements and still benefit from the massive exposure they receive from Internet broadcasting.

Their showcase, called ifilm@amcseries, will begin next month. It will include up to 10 short films, ranging from five to 15 minutes each. IFILM’s programming selection team will choose the best films for the showcase. AMC will review the films and then decide where they will be shown (the locations for the theatrical releases have not been determined).

“Most filmmakers who create a short film hope to create a long film one day,” said Kevin Wendle, co-founder and CEO of IFILM. “They want exposure, but they also want to win an Oscar. With AMC’s involvement, they can reach the theatrical audience and the mass consumer market on the Internet and the business professionals who look to our site.”

The partnership is a significant one, being that short films rarely get exposure in theaters even after they win an Academy Award.

Launched in October 1998, IFILM is a leading directory for the emerging world of Internet film. The IFILM Portal and Directory is the first comprehensive film portal and directory containing links to more than 4,000 Internet films from every major broadband content provider.

The academy’s decision sent a chill through the Internet world of filmmaking. Thousands of filmmakers, who had previously shown their goods on the Web, suddenly found themselves disqualified from entering the Oscar run. Many filmmakers have asked the academy to consider a grandfather clause, which would allow films to be considered if they were posted on the Web before the ruling was handed down.

The academy says that the ruling reflects its adherence to standards banning films from Oscar consideration if they have a television or video release before a theatrical run.

“We are the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. . . . We have to pick out an area and stick to it,” academy spokesman John Pavlik said. “We are involved in the theatrical film business.”