The race for the Academy Award for best picture is wide open, with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announcing Tuesday that 344 films are in contention for the honor.

To be eligible for Oscar consideration, a film must open in a Los Angeles County theater by Dec. 31 and run for at least seven days. Films must be at least 40 minutes long and must be shown in 35mm or 70mm film, or in a qualifying digital format.

Given the continued emergence of streaming services in the film-production world, the Academy noted that films that are released for their first public exhibition or distribution “in any manner other than as a theatrical motion picture” are ineligible for Oscar consideration.

A pair of Netflix films — “The Irishman” and “Marriage Story” — have emerged as awards season favorites, but both had theatrical runs before being made available on the streaming service.

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