Rules and criteria for Malta’s Oscar submission announced

The Malta Academy Selection Committee (MASC) has announced the launch of its process to select Malta’s official entry for the International Feature Film category at the 99th Academy Awards.

The MASC will issue a formal call for entries in due course, inviting Maltese filmmakers and producers to submit eligible feature films for consideration.

An international feature film is defined by the Academy as a motion picture running over 40 minutes, produced outside the United States of America and its territories, with a predominantly (more than 50 per cent) non-English dialogue track. Animated and documentary feature films are permitted.

A list of eligibility criteria was published. Among the criteria mentioned, is that the film must have been first released theatrically in its country or region of origin for paid admission, with the theatrical release beginning no earlier than 1st October 2025 and no later than 30th September 2026. The film must also have been first publicly exhibited for at least seven consecutive days in a commercial motion picture theatre, for the profit of the producer and exhibitor, with the seven consecutive days occurring in one venue.

MASC is established jointly by the Malta Entertainment Industry and Arts Association (MEIA) and the Malta Producers’ Association (MPA).

MASC uses a variety of methods to identify eligible films, including contacting their members and issuing a public open call.

Regarding the evaluation of submissions, all committee members will view the submitted films and rate them based on a set of criteria. The list of criteria includes whether the story is compelling, whether they were affected by it on an emotional level, whether the film feels fresh in cinematic terms, and whether the casting and performances are strong. Once the committee members submit ratings on these and other criteria, the Chairperson will review the ratings to identify the three highest-scoring films, which will advance to the next selection round.

The committee will then discuss these top three films to finalize the choice. If consensus is not reached, a vote will be conducted. In the event of a tie, the Chairperson will cast the deciding vote.

A film is selected as Malta’s official entry where it attains an overall score of 80 per cent or higher across the Committee. Where the overall score falls below this threshold, the Committee convenes for further discussion and a potential re-vote, and reserves the right not to submit an entry in that year.

Where more than one film attains the threshold, the highest-scoring film is selected. Only one film may be submitted to the Academy as Malta’s official selection. 

Further details regarding eligibility and evaluation criteria, as well as details on how a film should be submitted for consideration, may be found on MEIA’s website.

The closing date for submissions to MASC is 1st September 2026. The submission window will be announced shortly. The Academy deadline for Malta’s film submission is 5:00 p.m. PT on Wednesday, 30th September 2026. The eligibility window for the qualifying theatrical release is 1st October 2025 to 30th September 2026.

Controversy struck last year when no Maltese film was nominated. But the MEIA and MPA had said that Malta, like several other countries, doesn’t make a submission every year, mentioning their duty to follow Academy guidelines and standards.