Kiss the Future, a new documentary feature produced by Ben Affleck and Matt Damon , has landed in hot soup ahead of Hollywood’s awards season. The film has been deemed ineligible for Oscars by the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences, the governing body of the awards. However, the film’s producers have criticised the Academy’s ruling over a rule that they say has been misinterpreted.

(Also read: Ben Affleck, Matt Damon to reunite after Air for crime thriller RIP ) Why Kiss the Future was deemed ineligible for Oscars On Monday, Deadline reported that the Academy had deemed Kiss the Future ineligible for the 2025 Oscars as its theatrical release had not satisfied and fulfilled the criteria set in the rules. All films that vie for the Oscars need to have a wide release in a specific number of theatres in the US. The Academy stated that Kiss the Future played fewer shows than were required hence, it was deemed ineligible.

The producers’ appeal However, the film’s producers - Damon, Affleck and Sarah Anthony, argued the film’s wide release – in 139 AMC cinemas including screens in the qualifying markets of Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco and Atlanta – should be enough to make it Oscar-eligible. The Academy argued that Kiss the Future only played two shows a day and not the minimum three, as specified in Rule 12 of Oscar guidelines. The producers’ appeal was, hence, rejected.

However, after the story was broken by Deadline, many social media users inv.