2002 Academy Awards: List of Eligible Films
The bafflement over Oscar eligibility only begins when you realize that the "2002 Academy Awards" aren't presented or even nominated until 2003.
From there, you have to remember that several wide releases of 2003 actually count as 2002 movies, because they debuted in late 2002 in the relevant Los Angeles market (that's why The Hours, Spider, and The Guys, for example, are eligible). Foreign-language films submitted for that specific category are not necessarily qualified for the Picture, Director, and other general fields, while some of the contenders in those races are not qualified for Best Foreign Film (e.g., Talk to Her). And even if a movie did debut in Los Angeles in the 2002 calendar year, its eligibility for Oscar is dependent on studio or distributor executives filing the paperwork necessary for official submission. This means, yes, that The Piano Teacher is blocked, while some more schmuck actually spent a day filling out documents to make Adam Sandler's Eight Crazy Nights a bona fide possibility.
The loopholes, addenda, and codicils only continue from there—if you can't keep track of all of them, neither can the Academy voters, which is why AMPAS distributes a "Reminder List" of eligible films for the mainstream categories for the 2002 Awards. To settle all disputes and uncertainties, here are the films that appear on that list.
A
ABANDON
ABOUT A BOY
ABOUT SCHMIDT
ADAM SANDLER'S EIGHT CRAZY NIGHTS
ADAPTATION
THE ADVENTURES OF PLUTO NASH
ALIAS BETTY
ALIBABA & THE FORTY THIEVES
ALL ABOUT LILY CHOU-CHOU
ALL ABOUT THE BENJAMINS
ALL OR NOTHING
ALL THE QUEEN'S MEN
AMANDLA! A REVOLUTION IN FOUR-PART HARMONY
ANALYZE THAT
ANTWONE FISHER
ARARAT
AUSTIN POWERS IN GOLDMEMBER
AUTO FOCUS
B
BABY BOY
BANDITS
BARAN
BEAUTIFUL CREATURES
A BEAUTIFUL MIND
BEHIND ENEMY LINES
BEHIND THE SUN
BIG EDEN
BLACK HAWK DOWN
BLACK KNIGHT
BLOW
BLOW DRY
BONES
BORN ROMANTIC
BREAD AND ROSES
BRIDE OF THE WIND
BRIDGET JONES'S DIARY
BROTHER
THE BROTHERS
BUBBLE BOY
BULLY
THE BUSINESS OF STRANGERS
C
CAGE IN BOX ELDER
CAPTAIN CORELLI'S MANDOLIN
CATS & DOGS
THE CAVEMAN'S VALENTINE
THE CENTER OF THE WORLD
CHARLOTTE GRAY
LA CIENAGA
THE CIRCLE
THE CLOSET
COMPANY MAN
CORKY ROMANO
CRAZY/BEAUTIFUL
THE CRIMSON RIVERS
CROCODILE DUNDEE IN LOS ANGELES
THE CURSE OF THE JADE SCORPION
D
DARK BLUE WORLD
THE DAY I BECAME A WOMAN
THE DEEP END
THE DEVIL'S BACKBONE
DIAMOND MEN
THE DISH
DR. DOLITTLE 2
DOGTOWN AND Z-BOYS
DOMESTIC DISTURBANCE
DONNIE DARKO
DON'T SAY A WORD
DOUBLE TAKE
DOWN TO EARTH
DRIVEN
E
ENEMY AT THE GATES
EUREKA
EVOLUTION
EXIT WOUNDS
F
THE FAST AND THE FURIOUS
FAT GIRL
15 MINUTES
FINAL
FINAL FANTASY: THE SPIRITS WITHIN
FOCUS
THE FORSAKEN
FREDDY GOT FINGERED
FROM HELL
G
GET OVER IT
GHOST WORLD
THE GLASS HOUSE
GLITTER
THE GOLDEN BOWL
GOSFORD PARK
GRATEFUL DAWG
H
HAIKU TUNNEL
HANNIBAL
HARDBALL
HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER'S STONE
HEAD OVER HEELS
HEARTBREAKERS
HEARTS IN ATLANTIS
HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH
HEIST
HIGH HEELS AND LOW LIFES
HOW HIGH
I
I AM SAM
IN THE BEDROOM
THE INDEPENDENT
INNOCENCE
INTIMACY
THE INVISIBLE CIRCUS
IRIS
J
JACKPOT
JAY AND SILENT BOB STRIKE BACK
JEEPERS CREEPERS
JIMMY NEUTRON: BOY GENIUS
JOE DIRT
JOE SOMEBODY
JOHN CARPENTER'S GHOSTS OF MARS
JOSIE AND THE PUSSYCATS
JOY RIDE
JURASSIC PARK III
JUST VISITING
K
KATE & LEOPOLD
KING OF THE JUNGLE
KINGDOM COME
KISS OF THE DRAGON
A KNIGHT'S TALE
K-PAX
L
L.I.E.
LAGAAN
LAKEBOAT
LANTANA
LARA CROFT: TOMB RAIDER
THE LAST CASTLE
LAST ORDERS
LAST RESORT
THE LEARNING CURVE
LEGALLY BLONDE
LIAM
LIFE AS A HOUSE
THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING
LOST IN THE PERSHING POINT HOTEL
THE LOW DOWN
LUMUMBA
THE LUZHIN DEFENCE
M
MADE
THE MAJESTIC
THE MAN WHO CRIED
THE MAN WHO WASN'T THERE
MARCO POLO - RETURN TO XANADU
MAX KEEBLE'S BIG MOVE
MAYBE BABY
ME YOU THEM
MEMENTO
THE MEXICAN
MONKEYBONE
THE MONKEY'S MASK
MONSTER'S BALL
MONSTERS, INC.
MOULIN ROUGE
MULHOLLAND DRIVE
THE MUMMY RETURNS
THE MUSKETEER
MY FIRST MISTER
N
NO MAN'S LAND
NOT ANOTHER TEEN MOVIE
NOVOCAINE
O
O
OCEAN'S ELEVEN
ON THE LINE
THE ONE
ONE NIGHT AT McCOOL'S
ORIGINAL SIN
OSMOSIS JONES
THE OTHERS
OUR LADY OF THE ASSASSINS
OUT COLD
P
PANDAEMONIUM
PAVILION OF WOMEN
PEARL HARBOR
PIŅERO
PLANET OF THE APES
THE PLEDGE
POKEMON 3 THE MOVIE
POOTIE TANG
PRINCE OF LIGHT
THE PRINCESS AND THE WARRIOR
THE PRINCESS DIARIES
Q
R
RAT RACE
RECESS: SCHOOL'S OUT
RIDING IN CARS WITH BOYS
ROCK STAR
THE ROYAL TENENBAUMS
RUSH HOUR 2
S
SAVE THE LAST DANCE
SAVING SILVERMAN
SAY IT ISN'T SO
SCARY MOVIE 2
THE SCORE
SEE SPOT RUN
A SENSIBLE OBSESSION
SERENDIPITY
SERIES 7: THE CONTENDERS
SESSION 9
SEXY BEAST
SHALLOW HAL
THE SHIPPING NEWS
SHREK
SIDEWALKS OF NEW YORK
THE SIMIAN LINE
SOMEONE LIKE YOU
A SONG FOR MARTIN
SONGCATCHER
SOUL SURVIVORS
SPY GAME
SPY KIDS
SUGAR & SPICE
SUMMER CATCH
SWEET NOVEMBER
SWORDFISH
T
THE TAILOR OF PANAMA
TAPE
TEA CAKES OR CANNOLI
TEXAS RANGERS
13 GHOSTS
3000 MILES TO GRACELAND
TIME AND TIDE
TOMCATS
TOO MUCH SLEEP
TORTILLA SOUP
TOTALLY BLONDE
TOWN & COUNTRY
TRAINING DAY
TROUBLE EVERY DAY
THE TRUMPET OF THE SWAN
TWO CAN PLAY THAT GAME
TWO NINAS
U
UNDER THE SAND
V
VA SAVOIR
VALENTINE
VAMPIRE HUNTER D: BLOODLUST*
VANILLA SKY
VENGO
THE VERTICAL RAY OF THE SUN
W
WAKING LIFE
THE WEDDING PLANNER
WET HOT AMERICAN SUMMER
WHAT'S THE WORST THAT COULD HAPPEN?
WHEN BRENDAN MET TRUDY
WITH A FRIEND LIKE HARRY...
X
Y
Z
ZOOLANDER
(*A note of reassurance: this film is only eligible in Animated Feature Film category.)