LOS ANGELES, Dec 28: More than 300 films are eligible for the coveted best picture prize at next year's Oscars ceremony, Academy Awards organizers announced on Thursday.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences said in a statement 307 feature films were qualified for US cinema's top honour, which will be handed out at the Oscars in Hollywood on Feb 25.

To be eligible for consideration at the 79th Academy Awards, the films must open in a commercial motion picture theatre in Los Angeles County by midnight on Dec 31 and run for a minimum of seven consecutive days.

Under Academy rules, eligible films must run for longer than 40 minutes and have been screened in either 35mm or 70 mm film or an approved digital format.

The nominations for the Oscars will be announced on Jan 23 at the Academy's Samuel Goldwyn Theatre, with the awards following one month later.—AFP