Falling Slowly song eligible for Oscars

Falling Slowly, the song from the Irish film Once, has been deemed eligible for an Oscar by the Oscar committee.

The song's eligibility to stay on in the Oscar race had hit a roadblock after one of the blogs on the New York Times website raised a handful of doubts
as to whether Falling Slowly was written specifically for the film Once. The doubts came about as the song features in two albums recorded and released well before the film opened in the US. The norms laid down by the Oscar body, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, say that for a song to be in the race it must consist of words and music, both of which are original and written specifically for the film.

The latest reports on this have cleared all doubts regarding the originality of song. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has clarified that
the song stays eligible and that the song has been approved. The all important nod comes following the Oscar committee taking into account written assurances and detailed chronologies provided by the songwriter of Falling Slowly, the writer-director of Once, and Fox Searchlight.

Once had been in production for quite a few years now and that director John Carney and songwriter Glen Hansard were working closely together in
2002 when the project that became Once was first discussed. The song began to be composed, but the actual script and financing for the picture was delayed for several years. It just happened that the song was played in some venues that were deemed inconsequential enough to not change the
song's eligibility, the Academy clarified.