Here’s Why Taylor Swift and Beyoncé’s Concert Docs Will Not Be Nominated for Oscars

Don’t expect to see a Taylor Swift–Beyoncé showdown at the Academy Awards, as it seems neither performer’s upcoming concert documentary is eligible to be considered for an Oscar nomination. 

Swift will release her concert film, Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour, on Friday, while Bey’s Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé is due to hit theaters on Dec. 1. While both projects are set to take the box office by storm, Variety reports that neither can compete for an Academy Award nomination for documentary feature, or any technical category, under the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ current guidelines.

According to the outlet, the Academy’s bylaws state that the Documentary Branch defines a documentary film as “a theatrically released nonfiction motion picture dealing creatively with cultural, artistic, historical, social, scientific, economic or other subjects. It may be photographed in actual occurrence, or may employ partial reenactment, stock footage, stills, animation, stop-motion or other techniques, as long as the emphasis is on fact and not on fiction.” 

Additionally, the rules state that works that are “promotional or instructional” are not eligible, nor are “essentially unfiltered records of performances.” 

Beyond that, neither Eras nor Renaissance has reportedly been submitted for consideration by the Oct. 2 deadline. 

Last week, AMC announced that 33-year-old Swift’s concert film has surpassed $100 million in global advance ticket sales revenue.

Meanwhile, Variety speculates that Beyoncé’s movie could potentially fall into a “grey area” of eligibility due to the inclusion of footage from rehearsals and time spent with her husband, JAY-Z, and their children, Blue Ivy, Rumi and Sir. A press release for the film previously stated that Renaissance would tell the story of Bey’s latest tour from its inception, to the opening in Stockholm, Sweden, to its finale in Kansas City, Missouri, highlighting the 42-year-old artist’s “intention, hard work, involvement in every aspect of the production, her creative mind and purpose to create her legacy, and master her craft.” 

Beyoncé was previously nominated for an Oscar for co-writing the song “Be Alive” for 2021’s King Richard. Her previous music films, 2016’s Lemonade and 2019’s Homecoming:  A Film by Beyoncé, were each nominated for Primetime Emmy Awards. 

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