Los Angeles, Jun 15: The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' Board of Governors voted on Tuesday to change the number of films that could be nominated for a Best Picture Oscar.
It will allow as few as five nominees and as many as 10 in the best picture category instead of the guaranteed 10 nominees of the past two years.
That number won't be announced until the Best Picture nominees themselves are revealed during the January nomination announcement.
Other rules changes include:
The board will no longer be required to vote to "activate" the animated feature film category every year. A minimum number of eight eligible releases is still necessary for a competitive category.
In the visual effects category, the "bakeoff" at which the nominees are decided will increase from seven to 10.
The documentary feature and documentary short categories' eligibility periods have been amended in order to be in line with the calendar year and with most other award categories.
The change means that for the 84th Awards only, the eligibility period will span September 1, 2010 to December 31, 2011.
Other changes to the 84th Academy Awards rules include date changes and small "housekeeping" changes.
The 84th Academy Awards nominations will be announced on Tuesday, January 24, 2012.
The Academy Awards themselves will be presented on Sunday, February 26, 2012. AP
