Montreal: The board of directors of Le Grand Nuit du Cinema has unveiled admissibility rules for the inaugural edition of the Prix Jutra film awards. The Soiree des Jutra gala will be broadcast live on Reseau tva March 7.

The competition’s organizing body says films must have been released commercially in Quebec theaters for at least one week in 1998 and meet three of the five following conditions:

* produced or coproduced by a Quebec production company;

* directed or codirected by a Quebecer;

* written or cowritten by a Quebecer;

* one of the leading actors is a Quebecer;

* one of the following positions is held by a Quebecer: dop, art director, picture editor or music composer.

A film must also meet at least one of the second or third conditions, in regard to the director or scereenwriter.

Key talent and craft positions on a coproduction are eligible except for the producer who cannot be a finalist in the best film category.

Sixteeen films are eligible this year.