Academy Backtracks On Verdict, Deems Matt Damon & Ben Affleck Documentary ‘Kiss The Future’ Eligible For Oscars
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The Academy has reversed its previous decision of declaring the ‘Kiss The Future’ documentary from Matt Damon and Ben Affleck ineligible for consideration.
The Academy originally said the doc failed to meet qualification criteria, but the project directed by Nenad Cicin-Sain will likely be heading for the 2025 Oscars.
The documentary focuses on the siege of Sarajevo in the 1990s and how residents of the city drew inspiration from the music of U2 in the midst of brutal survival.
“I’m very happy to learn from the Academy that they changed their decision,” Cicin-Sain told Deadline. “There were so many people who shared their personal traumas and joys in the telling of this story. I feel they deserve to have as many platforms as possible to get their story into the world. And the Academy Awards has the ability to greatly amplify a story and get it attention.”
The Academy’s call to reverse their decision reportedly came as a result of a standard administrative review by the Academy committee (an eligibility review). Last month, the committee ruled the film ineligible because it “did not play three times a day for a week on the same screen in a qualifying city” (official Academy rules).
The Academy rejected a written plea from Damon and Affleck, which stated the fact that the film did receive a wide release, playing on more than 100 screens in AMC theaters. Cicin-Sain also stated that the film surpassed the Academy’s fundamental rules for qualification.
The film premiered at the Berlin Film Festival in 2023 and later released on streaming via Paramount+.
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