282 Films Advance in Best Picture Oscar Race

Two hundred eighty-two feature films are eligible for the 2012 Academy Awards, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced Friday.

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This is in increase from the 2011 race, which saw 265 feature films in contention. In the 2010 Oscar race, 248 feature films made the the shortlist.

Up to 10 of the films meeting the category's criteria will be nominated for the Academy Awards' top prize. Nominations will be announced Jan. 10.

To be eligible for 85th Academy Awards consideration, feature films must open in a commercial motion picture theater in Los Angeles County by midnight, December 31, and begin a minimum run of seven consecutive days.

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Under Academy rules, feature-length motion picture must have a running time of more than 40 minutes and must have been exhibited theatrically on 35mm or 70mm film, or in a qualifying digital format.

Feature films that receive their first public exhibition or distribution in any manner other than as a theatrical motion picture release are not eligible for Academy Awards in any category.

The 85th Academy Awards nominations will be announced live Thursday, Jan. 10, at the Academy's Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills.

ABC will broadcast the Academy Awards live on Sunday, Feb. 24, from the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood.