ATHENS – The Hellenic Film Academy has voiced strong discontent and demanded clarification from Greece’s Ministry of Culture following a series of confusing government-mandated changes that have disrupted the selection of Greece’s submission for the 96th Academy Awards.

The turmoil began in early August when the Ministry of Culture invited a committee of Greek film professionals to choose the country’s entry for the international Oscar race. The original committee included filmmaker Vasilis Kekatos, film critic Leda Galanou, actress Kora Karvounis, and screenwriter Kallia Papadakis. Kekatos, known for his Palme d’Or-winning short film *The Distance Between Us and the Sky,* was appointed as the committee president.

However, shortly after the committee members received online links to view the potential submissions, they were informed via email that their inclusion had been a mistake and were promptly dismissed from their roles. The Ministry then established a new seven-member committee, which included screenwriter Evan Spiliotopoulos, film critic Dimitris Danikas, and director Asimina Proedrou. Proedrou, who directed Greece’s 2023 Oscar submission *Behind the Haystacks,* later resigned from the committee, citing the chaotic process in an open letter on Facebook.

In response to the Ministry’s actions, the filmmakers and producers behind 20 of the 23 films under consideration withdrew their submissions. In an open letter to the Culture Ministry, they criticized the Ministry’s “interventions,” which they argued undermined the credibility and transparency of the selection process.

“Therefore, we refuse to cooperate in opaque actions, which discredit Greek cinema and its professionals, and we are forced to withdraw our films from the above process,” the letter stated. Signatories included Sofia Exarchou, whose film *Animals* was in contention after screenings at Locarno, Sarajevo, and Goteborg, and had also won two Hellenic Film Academy awards.

The remaining films in the selection process are *Fonissa* by Eva Nathena, *Minore* by Konstantinos Koutsoliotas, and *Captain Michalis* by Kostas Charalambous.

The Hellenic Film Academy expressed its “outrage” over the Ministry’s conduct in a statement on Instagram, labeling the changes as “unacceptable” and calling for the responsibility of selecting Greece’s Oscar nomination to be entrusted to the Academy, in line with practices in other countries like the UK and Spain.

“We once again ask the Greek State to entrust the EAK with the responsibility of selecting the Greek nomination for the Oscar International Film award in correspondence with other Academies,” the statement read, noting that the Academy has repeatedly made this request over the past four years.

Greek filmmaker Lefteris Charitos currently leads the Hellenic Film Academy. In response, the Deputy Minister of Culture issued an open letter stating that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is responsible for issuing Oscar selection committee invitations and that the initial invitations had not been handled “in accordance with the provisions of the law.”

The current status of the selection process remains unclear as both the Greek culture and foreign affairs ministries have yet to provide further comment. The shortlist for the Best International Feature Oscar is scheduled to be announced on December 17.

This story was originally reported by Deadline.