Oscar Voters Must Watch All Nominated Films Under New Academy Rules

The Motion Picture Academy has put in place tough new rules that make voters watch each nominated film before they can vote in the final Oscar ballots. This is a major change from how things worked before, starting with the 2025 awards season.

The new rule is meant to stop people from voting blindly. Before, members could vote for winners without watching all the nominees - which sometimes led to weird results. Now they'll have to show they've actually watched every movie in the running.

These rules only cover the final voting rounds. Early voting for shortlists and nominations will stay the same as before.

Categories where voters had to watch everything have seen surprises before. Like when "The Lives of Others" beat favorite "Pan's Labyrinth" for International Feature Film - which happened after everyone had to watch both films.

Not everyone in the Academy loves this change. Some worry about finding time to watch everything in bigger categories, while others think it's a good move for fairness.

In another change to help artists facing hardship, the Academy now lets displaced filmmakers enter their work through countries besides their home nation. This helps creators who've had to leave their countries.

When it comes to technology, using AI won't get films thrown out. But the Academy makes it clear that real people need to be behind the creative decisions.

After pushing from stunt professionals for years, they're finally adding a stunt design award at the 2028 show.

When the ceremony airs March 15, 2026, Conan O'Brien will take the stage as host, bringing his experience from hosting other award shows.

From new voting rules to added awards, these changes try to keep the Oscars relevant as movies keep evolving. The Academy hopes better rules will make their awards mean even more.