National Cinema Centre Reveals Oscar Selection Committee Size

France’s National Cinema Centre (CNC) revealed it’s increasing the country’s Oscar selection committee size to reinforce its independence. This follows controversy over the committee’s recent decisions of film to represent France in the Best International Feature Film category.

The CNC said the committee would be made up of eleven members and five substitutes, instead of the previous format of seven members. The goal was to support the “collegiality” of the debates, diverse points of view and also better mask the secret votes of the members.

A committee president will be chosen within the 11 members, who will have a casting vote in the event of an equal division of votes. The committee members will also be appointed for two years, instead of one.

The head of the CNC will participate in the committee meetings as an observer, without a say in the final decision. This is also the same for the president of cinema export body Unifrance, which supports the campaign of the selected film.

The submission deadline for productions being put forward as a candidate to represent France at the 2025 Academy Awards is July 15. Potential candidates this year include A Little Something Extra, The Count Of Monte Cristo, and Emilia Perez.