Avatar, Star Trek, two of seven films in Visual Effects Oscar race

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced today that seven films remain in the competition to pick three nominees for the Oscar for Best Visual Effects. Here's the list of films:

2012
Avatar
District 9
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
Star Trek
Terminator Salvation
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

That list came from the original tally of 15 movies competing for the Visual Effects prize. Coraline, Angels & Demons, Disney's A Christmas Carol, G-Force, G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, Sherlock Holmes, Watchmen, and Where the Wild Things Are did not make the cut.

It also means the buzz for Avatar,  Star Trek, and District 9 continues to grow, as Tuesday, the Producers Guild annouced that the popular 2009 Sci-Fi epics were part of its list of the 10 best films vying for the Zanuck Award of Best Picture.  

On January 21st, Academy members representing the Visual Effects branch will gather to look at 15-minute excerpts  from the seven films; from that review, three nominees will be selected for the 2010 Academy Award for Visual Effects.

2010 Oscar nominations will be announced Tuesday, February 2, 2010 at 5:30 PM PST.   The Oscars will be presented Sunday, March 7, 2010.

Stay tuned.