Santa Fe International Film Festival now an Oscar qualifying festival

The Santa Fe International Film Festival is now recognized by the Academy of the Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences as an Oscar qualifying festival.

The winners of the Best Animated Short, Best Narrative Short, and Best Documentary Short categories at this year’s festival are now eligible for Oscar submission, according to a news release from the Santa Fe International Film Festival.

"We are honored that our festival has been recognized by the Academy as an Oscar qualifying festival," said Liesette Bailey, executive director of the Santa Fe International Film Festival, in a statement. "This distinction allows our filmmakers to share their storytelling with a wider audience while celebrating the creativity and freedom of expression of the art of short filmmaking."

This year's Santa Fe International Film Festival runs Wednesday, Oct. 16, through Sunday, Oct. 20. The festival will open with Malcolm Washington’s "The Piano Lesson" and will close with Amber Sealey’s "Out of My Mind," according to the news release. Award-winning actor Bryan Cranston will be honored with its prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award.

"It has been a privilege curating the Shorts for the festival over the past 12 years," said Derek Horne, director of Shorts programming, in a statement. "And this recognition by the Academy is quite validating for both our programming and our filmmakers."

The five-day the festival will screen 184 films including 42 narrative features, 24 documentaries and 118 short films, according to the news release. The festival will showcase several high-profile titles, including Michael Gracey’s "Better Man," a documentary on pop icon Robbie Williams; Academy Award winner’s Andrea Arnold’s "Bird," starring Academy Award nominee Barry Keoghan; Phil Blattenberger’s "Laws of Man" featuring Academy Award winner Keith Carradine alongside Academy Award nominees Harvey Keitel and Graham Greene; Academy Award nominee RaMell Ross’ "Nickel Boys," adapted from Colson Whitehead's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel; Marielle Heller’s "Nightb****," starring six-time Academy Award nominee Amy Adams; Jesse Eisenberg’s "A Real Pain," featuring himself and Kieran Culkin; Academy Award winner Pedro Almodóvar’s "The Next Room," with Academy Award winners Julianne Moore and Tilda Swinton; Tim Fehlbaum’s "September 5," starring John Magaro and Peter Sarsgaard; and Academy Award nominee William Goldenberg’s "Unstoppable," with Jennifer Lopez, Michael Peña and Academy Award nominee Don Cheadle.

For more information, visit santafe.film.