MUMBAI: Fifteen films including Avatar and Angels & Demons have been selected as semi-finalists for the Academy Of Motion Picture Arts And Sciences‘ achievement in visual effects award.

Other films in the race are Coraline; Disney‘s A Christmas Carol; District 9; G-Force; G.I. Joe: The Rise Of Cobra; Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince; Sherlock Holmes; Star Trek; Terminator Salvation; Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen; 2012; Watchmen and Where The Wild Things Are.

 
The list will come down to seven when members of the Academy‘s visual effects branch will sit and shorten the list in early January.

All the members of the visual effects branch will be invited to view 15-minute excerpts of each of the seven shortlisted films on January 21 and will vote after the screenings to nominate three films for final Oscar consideration.

The nominations will be announced on 2 February.