December 29, 2003
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Dawn Newell - (310) 247-3000
                        dnewell@oscars.org

Beverly Hills, CA - Midnight on Wednesday, December 31, marks the final deadline for a feature film to begin a seven-day run in Los Angeles County to officially qualify for 76th Academy Awards consideration.

"In order for a film to be eligible for an Oscar^® nomination, producers were required to submit the Official Screen Credits form to the Academy by December 1," said Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences President Frank Pierson. "Every year a number of films begin the one-week qualifying run near the end of December, but there aren't any surprises since the forms have already been received."

Oscar nominations will be announced at 5:30 a.m. on Tuesday, January 27, 2004, at the Academy's Samuel Goldwyn Theater.

Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2003 will be presented on Sunday, February 29, 2004, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland^® and televised live by the ABC Television Network at 5 p.m. PST, beginning with a half-hour arrival segment.