Ben Affleck and Matt Damon furious after their film Kiss the Future was disqualified from Oscars 2025 due to obscure rule

Why was ‘Kiss the Future’ deemed ineligible for an Oscar?

On Monday, Deadline reported that the Academy has deemed Kiss the Future ineligible for the 2025 Oscars because its theatrical release does not meet the criteria set out in the rules. All films competing for Oscars are required to have a wide release in a certain number of theaters in the US. The Academy said Kiss the Future played fewer shows than required so it was deemed ineligible.

Appeal to producers

However, the film’s producers – Damon, Affleck and Sarah Anthony – argued that the film’s wide release – at 139 AMC theaters including screens in the eligible markets of Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco and Atlanta – should be enough to make it Oscar-eligible. The Academy argued that Kiss the Future should be shown only two showings a day and not the minimum three specified in Rule 12 of the Oscar guidelines. Therefore, the producers’ appeal was rejected.

However, after Deadline broke the story, several social media users checked the Oscar guidelines and pointed out that nowhere does it mention that the film needs to screen three shows on one screen. If all screens in a city are counted, Kiss the Future has screened more than just three shows and should, therefore, be considered eligible.

All about Kiss the Future

Kiss the Future, directed by director Nenad Cicin-San, tells the story of the siege of Sarajevo in the 1990s and how the music of U2 helped inspire the city’s beleaguered residents. The film premiered at the Berlin Film Festival last year, followed by its US premiere at the Tribeca Festival. It was nominated for the Cinema for Peace Award and won the Audience Award at the Sarajevo Film Festival.