The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences has said that an astounding 289 films will be eligible for its top prize, the Best Picture Oscar. It also announced the 75 songs that will be eligible for a Best Original Song nomination, including many from the Great Gatsby soundtrack by artists like Lana Del Rey and Jay Z.
In order for a film to be in the running for this year’s Oscars, it must open in a Los Angeles County theater by Dec. 31 and run for at least seven days. The Academy’s rules state that features must be over 40 minutes, so considering the epic length of films today, many of the top awards contenders won’t have to worry.
This year, 12 Years A Slave, American Hustle, The Wolf of Wall Street and Gravity are just a few of the films expected to be in the running for Best Picture.
There will also be 75 songs eligible for the Best Original Song category, which went to Adele and Paul Epworth for the title song of Skyfall last year. Many of these songs include tracks by popular artists, mostly thanks to their contributions to Baz Luhrmann’s Gatsby. Jay Z’s “100$ Bill” and Del Rey’s “Young and Beautiful” could get a nomination. Coldplay’s “Atlas” from The Hunger Games: Catching Fire is also eligible, The eligible song from Disney’s Frozen is “Let It Go.”
The Academy has strict rules for the Original Song category, noting that the track’s melody must be heard during the film and the song has to be heard at the beginning of the end credits. Although the Coen Brothers’ Inside Llewyn Davis has been acclaimed for its T Bone Burnett-produced soundtrack, it doesn’t feature original songs and is ineligible.
There will also be 114 scores up for a Best Original Score nomination.
The Oscars are set for Sunday, March 2 with Ellen DeGeneres hosting. Nominees are announced on Thursday, Jan. 16. Last week, the Academy announced the list of films eligible for the Visual Effects Oscar.
image: Warner Bros.