The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (The Academy) confirmed today the list of documentary feature qualifying film festivals. Doc Edge, New Zealand’s international documentary film festival, made the prestigious list. www.oscars.org/rules

In April 2018, the Academy announced new rules for the Oscars, delivering good news to feature documentary makers. In the past, entries were required to complete a minimum run of seven days in at least one cinema in Los Angeles or New York. This was extremely difficult and costly to achieve, especially for international films.

Now, documentaries that win a prize at a selected “competitive festival” will automatically become eligible for Oscar consideration.

In 2016, Doc Edge Festival became an Oscar-qualifying festival for the Short Documentary Subject category, and under the new rules, it is now also qualified for the Feature Documentary Subject category.

Ruckus Media and Kiwi Director Mitchell Hawkes won big at the recent 13th Doc Edge Festival for the moving and intimate feature film Stan and short film Born This Way: Awa’s Story. The Academy confirmed that both films are eligible to submit for Oscar consideration this year. Talal Derki’s film Of Fathers and Sons, winner of the Doc Edge Best International Feature Film category, is also eligible for consideration.

Doc Edge Executive Director Dan Shanan said, “We are honoured Doc Edge’s reputation and work to date led to this taonga. As the only Oscar-qualifying festival in NZ for both short and feature length documentaries, this is a huge opportunity for filmmakers, especially local films, to get fast-tracked for Oscar consideration and bring the documentary Oscars home.”

Doc Edge Festival 2019 submissions will open in July with new rules regarding film eligibility and premiere status. More details will be available on www.docedge.nz

The Academy Award nominated film Finding Vivian Maier screens this weekend in Auckland (Academy Cinemas) and Wellington (Nga Taonga Sound & Vision) as part of the Doc Edge Presents monthly screenings. http://docedge.nz/docedge-presents/  

About Doc Edge

Doc Edge is run by The Documentary New Zealand Trust, a not-for-profit charitable organisation based in Auckland which was founded in 2004.

Doc Edge’s mission is to lead and support filmmakers to develop and make compelling documentary films and to inspire the creative, business and wider communities to celebrate local and international documentary stories.

Doc Edge’s vision is to promote documentary, create healthy audience appreciation for documentary and make New Zealand a documentary destination on the world stage.

Doc Edge Festival is an Oscar-qualifying, New Zealand's only and Australasia's premiere international documentary film festival held annually in Wellington and Auckland. The Festival showcases the very best in documentary films from New Zealand and around the world. It also includes a Gala Film Awards, Docs 4 Schools programme, Doc Talks, Screen Edge Forum – an industry event – and Story Edge World Exhibition which showcases interactive digital stories.

Judy Bailey is Doc Edge Champion.