Remember to press play… then put it on MUTE?
That’s the loophole that certain Oscar voters revealed after the Academy announced that members must now watch all films nominated in each category.
In its 96-year history, the Academy had never implemented or enforced this rule until this year, with the policy confirmed by the group’s Board of Governors.
Known mostly as an honor system, members will be told not to vote if they haven’t watched the screenings from that year’s nominees.
In a press statement released on April 21st, the Academy announced:
“In a procedural change, Academy members must now watch all nominated films in each category to be eligible to vote in the final round for the Oscars®. All designated nominees will also be included on the final ballot.”
The requirement is informally known as the "Brutalist Rule,” after the 2025 Oscar-nominated period drama starring Adrien Brody as a Holocaust survivor who immigrates to the United States. Directed by Brady Corbet and written by Mona Fastvold, the film runs for 215 minutes (that’s 3.5 hours) and received 10 nominations and three wins at this year’s ceremony.
The movie earned Adrien Brody his second Best Actor win, as seen in the video below:
- YouTubeABC News/YouTube
But it was revealed by Variety that voters admitted—anonymously—that they hadn't watched The Brutalist or Brody’s Oscar-winning performance.
In an article released in January, Variety reported:
“Brady Corbet’s ‘The Brutalist’ is a strong contender in this year’s race, bolstered by its Golden Globe win. Yet, some voters admitted they “didn’t get to it” or “didn’t finish it,” citing its demanding runtime and intense subject matter.”
Hence, “The Brutalist Rule” was born as the Academy seeks to tighten the reins on Oscar voters. When asked for comment, the Academy referred to the use of the Academy Screening Room, an internal tracking service where voters can view the screen titles.
The Academy representative told Entertainment Weekly:
“If you have not viewed a title, the award category will be inaccessible (greyed). For the specialty categories, we will still require viewing in prelims and noms as usual. For this year, we will now require viewing in finals voting for all categories and all voting members.”
So it looks like Oscar voters finally have to do their homework, or will they?
A voter told Variety:
“The app only needs to see that you watched it… It doesn’t know if you’re sitting there.”
Needless to say, that voter did not finish The Brutalist. Online cinephiles reacted in disbelief to the press statement, wondering why uninformed and lazy Academy voters are allowed in the Academy if they don’t watch the nominated films.
See the outraged reactions from movie fans below:
Others offered solutions to reform the so-called prestigious voting process:
We'll see if the Academy's latest mandate is enforced successfully. The next ceremony is scheduled for March 15, 2026, and will be hosted by comedian Conan O’Brien.
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