Changes to Category Rules Effective from the 11thFOIOA

FOIOA hereby announces three major revisions to select award category rules. These changes shall come into effect from the 11th FOIOA onwards and will apply to all subsequent editions.

Inclusion of Casting Directors

The existing category Best Performance by an Ensemble Cast is hereby modified and renamed Best Casting & Ensemble. This revised category formally recognises the contribution of Casting Director(s) along with the ensemble cast of the film.

Changes to Writing Categories

The category Best Dialogues is hereby merged with respective Screenplay category to form a consolidated writing category. Accordingly, FOIOA will henceforth recognise the following two writing categories: Writing – Original & Writing – Adapted. Nominations in these categories shall credit the screenplay writer, story writer (where applicable), and dialogue writer (where applicable).

Modification to Provisions of Special Jury Mentions

The provision for Special Jury Mentions, along with all associated rules and balloting guidelines, shall hereby cease to be in effect. This segment will be replaced by a new segment titled Spotlight Mentions, which shall honour film achievements not otherwise covered by the existing award categories of FOIOA.

FOIOA’s official rules documentation will be updated to reflect these changes at the earliest.

11th FOIOA nominations announcement is (tentatively) scheduled for 23rd January, 2026, followed by winners announcement on 6th February, 2026.

Spokesperson

December 29th, 2025