Wed Sep 25 09:12:31 UTC 2024: ## Oscar Snub for Ben Affleck and Matt Damon’s “Kiss The Future”
The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences has ruled that the documentary “Kiss The Future,” produced by Hollywood stars Ben Affleck and Matt Damon, is ineligible for the 2025 Oscars. The film, which chronicles the siege of Sarajevo during the 1990s and the impact of U2’s music on the city’s residents, failed to meet the Academy’s requirement of a three-times-a-day screening for a week in a commercial motion picture theatre in both New York and Los Angeles.
Despite a theatrical release in 139 theaters across the U.S. in February 2024, the film’s distributors, AMC, neglected to fulfill this requirement in the designated cities. The filmmakers appealed the initial ruling, highlighting the film’s success at festivals like Berlinale, Tribeca, and Sarajevo, but their appeal was ultimately denied by the Academy’s Documentary Branch Executive Committee.
“This is like rule whack-a-mole,” remarked director Nenad Cicin-Sain, who is considering a comedic documentary about his experience. “I’m seriously considering doing a documentary about this experience – it’s probably more of a comedy, which really is more financially lucrative.”
“Kiss The Future” premiered at the Berlin Film Festival in 2023 and went on to win the Audience Award at the Sarajevo Film Festival. It was also nominated for the Cinema for Peace Award. Despite these accolades, the film’s Oscar hopes have been dashed due to a technicality that has left the filmmakers and fans of the film disappointed.
First Piper 