Oscar controversy deepens for Matt Damon and Ben Affleck's documentary, as filmmakers challenge Academy's decision

The row over whether Matt Damon and Ben Affleck-backed documentary *Kiss the Future* merits Academy Awards consideration was blown into controversy when, at a ruling by the Academy to declare the movie ineligible for awards next year, an argument broke out. It is an argument based on a regulation stating that, to qualify, documentaries must have run three times a day in one theater for a week. The filmmakers have since countered this: their film had indeed met this requirement, leaving everyone in frustration and confusion.

Filmmakers, including director Nenad Cicin-Sain, claim the documentary was screened in 139 AMC theaters in many large cities, including Los Angeles, New York and San Francisco. However, the Academy disqualified *Kiss the Future* for not having screened three times a day in a single theatre in one of these cities, not meeting one of the requirements of Rule 12 in the Academy's regulations for documentary features. This decision the filmmakers contested to point out that the rule does not state expressly that they all have to screen in one theatre but one of the qualifying cities.

According to Cicin-Sain, his documentary had already qualified in February 2024, before the updated rules were put out by the Academy this year. "It's like a whack-a-mole game; every time you get rid of one, another one pops up," he said, describing the situation as "so frustrating." He pointed out that documentary films have always followed other eligibility rules than feature films and that the current rules of the Academy seemed to include more stringent requirements than before.

The producers and Cicin-Sain wrote to the organization appealing the decision made by the Academy. They stated that the film was screened more than three times a day in all theaters of qualifying cities. Therefore, they had qualified to be considered eligible. On their side, the producers and Cicin-Sain noted that the Academy did not clearly outline its intention to have the required number of screenings happen in only one theater in their original guidelines.

Despite all these, the appeal was rejected by the Academy, which held that *Kiss the Future* did not qualify for screening under the required rules. The filmmakers do not change their mind that the documentary should have been eligible under the current rules since the film was run across various venues in core markets. He even joked that maybe through all this, he would get a move idea on the absurdity and confusion of making rules at the Academy and because something that soooo appallingly funny and ridiculous is more likely to make money than his present production would.

The controversy has surfaced even further online, and different people have really made it a topic for discussion, especially on the strict interpretation that the Academy used when it buttressed its rule. No law states that the three daily showings have to take place in the same venue according to the official guidelines. Second, other people exhibited support for the filmmakers: give the documentary its due share in the Oscar race as well.

Whether the Academy changes its rules for future submissions or if there is another route to recognition for the filmmakers, only time will tell. For now, *Kiss the Future* remains out of the running for an Oscar, but its producers and supporters aren't backing down from the fight for eligibility.