Reuters.com: Cuban 'Fahrenheit' Telecast Raises Oscar Questions

Entertainment News Article | Reuters.com: "The U.S. distributors of Michael Moore's controversial 'Fahrenheit 9/11' said on Tuesday that an unauthorized broadcast of the film on Cuban television will not disqualify the movie from Oscar competition in the feature documentary category.
'The film that was illegally shown on Cuban state-run TV was from an unauthorized, pirated copy,' said a statement issued by Lions Gate Films, IFC Entertainment and the Fellowship Adventure Group, founded by Miramax Films co-chairs Bob and Harvey Weinstein.
Under Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences rules, documentaries are ineligible for Oscar.

Producers of Moore's film have another month to decide how they want the film to be entered in Oscar competition. The deadline for submission of documentary candidates is Sept. 1. Pavlik said the academy typically receives about 60 submissions for that category.

Last year's Academy Award for best documentary feature went to the Errol Morris film "Fog of War," about the difficult lessons of military conflict learned by former Defense Secretary Robert McNamara. Moore won the year before for his study of gun violence in America, "Bowling for Columbine.""


By Steve Gorman