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Funimation to Submit Summer Wars for Oscar Nomination

Hollywood blog TheWrap reports and ANN has confirmed that Funimation is currently filling out paperwork to submit Mamoru Hosoda's anime film Summer Wars for consideration at the next Academy Awards. According to the site, the movie would be the 14th submission for the Best Animated Feature category. The Oscars rules are such that if there are 16 eligible films for the Best Animated Feature, there will be a total of five nominees; if there are fewer than 16, the pool of nominees will be only three.

Funimation notes that it has "a few more deadlines to meet" but is excited "to bring this beautiful film to the attention of the movie-going public. Hosoda is a gifted storyteller and an animation visionary." Funimation also confirmed that it is working with distributor GKIDS, which "guided The Secret of Kells to its Academy Award nomination last year."

In October 2009, it was revealed that Hideaki Anno and Khara's anime film Evangelion: 1.0 You Are [Not] Alone (Evangelion Shin Gekijōban: Jo) was not eligible for the 82nd Annual Academy Awards because it had been screened in Japan prior to January 1, 2008. This year, foreign films can be eligible if they were screened outside the United States after January 1, 2009; Summer Wars began its theatrical run in Japan in August of 2009. Other qualifications for Oscars eligibility include length (over 40 minutes) and a theatrical run in Los Angeles County with paid admission, advertising, and specific equipment. Funimation confirmed that such a run is planned for Summer Wars starting in December, with dates, times, and theaters to be announced. The film must also meet the definition of an animated feature, which specifies how much of the film must be animated.

The Summer Wars anime film was announced in late 2008, with director Mamoru Hosoda (The Girl Who Leapt Through Time) attached to the project. It was released in 2009 and has garnered awards or nominations at the Asia Pacific Screen Awards, the Japanese Digital Content Awards, the Sitges Film Festival, the Japan Media Arts Festival, the Japan Academy Awards, the Mainichi Film Awards, the Montreal Fantasia Festival, the Japan Sci-Fi Con, the Animation Kobe Awards, and the Anaheim Film Festival. The film has also earned awards from the Association of Media in Digital (AMD) and the Agency for Cultural Affairs.

Thanks to Daniel Zelter for the news tip.

Image © Summer Wars Film Partners