This year the Academy has establish a Documentary Feature Qualifying Festival List.  

Documentary films that win designated juried documentary awards at select festivals will automatically become eligible for Oscar consideration in the Documentary Feature category. Krakow Film Festival has been included in the group of 28 festivals, next to Berlinale, Cannes, IDFA, DOK Leipzig and others that now will make easier for its laureates to submit for Oscar consideration.

At Krakow Film Festival it is the Golden Horn laureate, the winner of the Documentary Competition that will get a chance for Oscar nod. This year the Golden Horn went to Talal Derki for his “Of Fathers and Sons” a gripping documentary providing a rare insight into what it means to grow up with a father whose only dream is to establish an Islamic Caliphate.

Thus, Oscar qualifying category expands on another competition of Krakow Film Festival as so far this privilege was granted to Short Film Competition laureates, winners of the Golden Dragon and three Silver Dragons (short fiction, animation, short documentary).

The 59th Krakow Film Festival will take place May 26th - June 2nd, 2019.

91st Academy Awards Documentary Feature Qualifying Festival List: http://www.oscars.org/sites/oscars/files/91aa_doc_feature_festivals.pdf