1. Feature Length: The documentary must have a running time of at least 40 minutes.
2. Documentary Content: The film must consist primarily of non-fictional, factual material. It cannot contain scripted dialogue or staged scenes.
3. Theatrical Release: The documentary must have been released in a commercial theater in Los Angeles County for at least seven consecutive days. The screening must have been open to the general public and advertised in a print publication of general circulation in Los Angeles.
4. Documentary Submissions: The documentary must be submitted to the Academy for consideration through the official Academy Awards submission process. The submission deadline for the current year's awards is usually in early October.
5. Jury Screening: The Academy will organize screenings of all submitted documentaries for a jury of experienced filmmakers and industry professionals. This jury will evaluate the documentaries and determine which ones will advance to the next round of voting.
6. Member Screening: The shortlisted documentaries are then screened for all voting members of the Academy's Documentary Branch. These members will vote to select the final nominees in the Documentary Feature category.
7. Academy Awards Ceremony: The documentary films that receive the most votes become the official nominees for the Academy Awards. These nominees are recognized during the annual Academy Awards ceremony, where the winners are announced.
Meeting the requirements of Rule Eleven is a significant achievement for documentary filmmakers. It represents recognition by the Academy of the film's artistic merit, storytelling excellence, and contribution to the documentary genre.