New rule for Oscars voters: they have to watch the movies

Oscar voters will no longer be able to skip watching some of the nominated films.

The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences on Monday announced that members will from now on be required to watch all nominated films in each category to be eligible to vote in the final round of Oscar voting. Up until now, Oscar voters had only been encouraged to watch the nominees, and vote in categories they felt qualified in.

But in recent years, what films get watched by academy members has been increasingly seen as a significant factor in what wins. At the same time, the publication of anonymous Oscar ballots has often featured members confessing that they didn’t get around to watching some notable films or not finishing lengthier nominees.

On Monday, the academy also put forth a handful of new regulations on issues including AI, refugee filmmakers and the newly launched casting category.

The academy also ruled that the use of generative artificial intelligence tools “neither help nor harm the chances of a nomination.” How significantly AI is used in filmmaking has, as in other industries, been a much-debated topic in Hollywood. In this year’s Oscar race, Brady Corbet’s “The Brutalist” was a subject of some controversy after its editor said that AI had been used to enhance the Hungarian dialogue of stars Adrien Brody (who ultimately won best actor ) and Felicity Jones (who was nominated for best supporting actress).