New Orleans Film Festival has Oscar connection

The 2015 New Orleans Film Festival now boasts an added incentive for filmmakers thinking about entering. As it approaches its 26th edition, it has become an Oscar-qualifying festival in the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ documentary shorts category.
It becomes one of 38 such festivals for documentary shorts, which means the film that takes the festival’s top prize in the category instantly qualifies for the corresponding Academy Award race. A film can also qualify for the Oscar race through a seven-day run in either Los Angeles or Manhattan; or by winning the gold, silver or bronze Student Academy Award.
Festival organizers are also in the process of applying to become a qualifying event in the live-action and animated shorts categories as well. Final word on that, however, isn’t due until December — after this year’s festival.
Recently dubbed the “top growing film festival” by Forbes, it has set attendance records in each of the past several years. Its 2014 festival was its most well attended yet, drawing more than 25,000 festivalgoers — including 256 directors and producers — for its slate of 237 films at 12 venues across New Orleans.
Although this will be the first year the festival winner will automatically qualify for the Oscars, the 2014 winner of its top prize for documentary shorts — director J. Christian Jensen’s “White Earth” — earned a nomination this year anyway.
On Thursday, Feb. 19, the New Orleans Film Society, the organizing group behind the annual festival, will co-sponsor a screening of “White Earth” and this year’s other nominated documentary shorts at the Prytania Theatre. The program starts at 8 p.m.
The New Orleans Film Festival is now accepting submissions for its 2015 edition in the following categories: narrative features, documentary features, narrative shorts, documentary shorts, animated shorts, music videos, experimental shorts, Louisiana features, and Louisiana shorts.
For details on how to enter, visit the New Orleans Film Society website.