How Is an Oscar Won?

Before a film can win an Academy Award, the most prestigious honor presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, it must first pass through a complex selection process. The glamorous ceremony that film lovers eagerly await every year is merely the final step in a lengthy and carefully structured process.

How the Academy Votes

Behind the entire process stands the Academy itself, which has between 7,000 and 9,000 members from across the world. The system is organized so that the Academy is divided into branches — actors, directors, writers, and many other professions within the film industry.

Each member belongs to only one branch, and each branch votes for nominations within its own category. That means actors nominate actors, directors nominate directors, and so on. The only category in which all members are allowed to vote is Best Picture. Voting is conducted by secret ballot.

Rules a Film Must Meet

The Academy has strict rules about which films are even eligible for nomination. To qualify, a film must be longer than 40 minutes and must have been screened in selected cinemas in Los Angeles County for at least seven days. Films that premiere exclusively on television or online platforms traditionally have not been eligible.

Producers must also submit the official production credits through the Academy’s online system before the deadline. The form includes detailed credits for all categories. After verification, each submission is placed on the list of qualified releases.

What Really Influences the Vote?

Speaking with Miroljub Vučković from the Film Center Serbia, we learned that the criteria for choosing the best films are not always identical. What matters is that a film appeals to audiences while maintaining a certain artistic quality.

“Members of the Academy vote according to their preferences, their belief in the quality of the film, and their personal taste. As you know, personal taste is not formed just before voting, but many factors can influence who ultimately receives the award,” Vučković explained.

He added that film criticism can also affect the final outcome, especially if Academy members follow critics closely and trust their opinions more than their own judgment.

Vučković also pointed out that there is a distinction between awards for films produced in the United States and those produced elsewhere. Candidates from countries whose official language is not English are considered within the category of International Feature Film.

“The Oscar supports and increases the visibility of films. It is a major award that brings prestige, financial opportunities, and wider recognition. Because of the pandemic, there have even been years when films could qualify through online platforms,” Vučković noted.

When Critics Become the Jury

Film critic Arman Fatić from Sarajevo explained that predicting the winner is never simple. The selection process ultimately involves people, and each person has their own preferences and standards.

“A film that wins an award from one jury at a festival might pass completely unnoticed by another,” Fatić said.

"Whoever Makes Films for the Oscar Has Lost Their Way in Art"

He shared a personal example with HEDONIST magazine. In 2017, he served as a member of the youth jury of the FIPRESCI in Warsaw, alongside seven other critics who had to decide which film deserved the award.

“The films we watched at the festival were truly excellent. Out of sixteen titles, our jury managed to narrow the selection down to three films that clearly stood out. However, when the time came to make the final decision, we spent several hours discussing different parameters that we considered important for awarding the prize,” Fatić recalled.

They discussed how each of the three films affected the audience in the cinema, what messages they conveyed, which countries they came from, and how much the award might mean for the film and its country of origin.

“Of the three films we loved, one did not fully meet the criteria that mattered to us. Another had already received an award from the main FIPRESCI jury, so we ultimately gave our prize to the third film,” Fatić explained.

Oscar and the Meaning of Success

We also spoke about the meaning of the Oscar in the world of cinema with acclaimed actor, director, and screenwriter Nikola Pejaković, known to audiences as Kolja.

For HEDONIST, Pejaković said that the Oscar should never be the main goal when making a film, no matter how prestigious the award may be.

“Anyone who sets that as their main goal is surely an amateur and a fool who has wandered into the world of film — and into art in general,” he said.

When asked whether the Oscar today remains a genuine artistic recognition or has become politically influenced, Pejaković replied that the award has never been purely about artistic excellence.

“There has always been politics involved, just like in everything else. In recent years, perhaps more than ever,” Kolja concluded.

The Films That Win Our Hearts

So, ladies and gentlemen, enjoy your favorite films.

Now that you know a little more about how the Academy Award is decided, perhaps it will be easier to understand why some films win, and others do not. And if your favorite movie does not receive the Oscar, do not be disappointed.

After all, you have already given it one.

• Written by: Nevena Reljić / HEDONIST
• Originally published in HEDONIST Magazine, Issue 04 (2021)