BAFTA says no to American movies for 2007

LONDON, Dec. 11 (UPI) -- Highly praised American movies like "Letters from Iwo Jima" will not be considered for the 2007 awards from the British Academy of Film and Television Arts.

BAFTA has changed the eligibility deadline to Feb. 11 instead of the end of March. The organization altered the timeline so the ceremony would take place before the U.S. Academy Awards. As a result, Clint Eastwood's "Iwo Jima", George Clooney's "The Good German" and Robert De Niro's "The Good Shepherd" will have to wait until 2008 to learn whether their movies receive awards in the United Kingdom. Eastwood's and De Niro's films will barely miss the BAFTA deadline, scheduled for release in British cinemas Feb. 23.

Adam Dawtrey, European editor of the entertainment industry publication Variety, told the BBC the rule change puts distributors in Great Britain "in a difficult position." He says by 2008 the films, over a year old by then, will seem "irrelevant."

A BAFTA spokesman confirmed the rule change but offered no further comment.