"Star Wars: The Force Awakens" has been nominated for Best Picture at the Critics' Choice Awards in an unprecedented move.

The Broadcast Critics Association announced the decision, creating controversy and forcing a number of members to resign. The controversy stems from the fact that the film had not screened in time for the nominations. This was due to Disney's secrecy surrounding the project and the fact that the studio did not want to spoil the ending for audiences.

This move has rocked the organization, as two members decided to resign, noting that the group lacked integrity. However, it should be noted that the Critics' Choice did the same in 2000 when "Cast Away" screened late.

With "Star Wars" added, the Best Picture nominees now number 11. No other categories were affected by the decision.

The BFCA's decision is an interesting one, as many organizations did not screen the film and, as a result, did not nominate it or make an exception. If the organization did not want to exclude any films, it most likely should have waited for all the films to be screened.

A few years ago, the New York Film Critics groups pushed the date for their awards so "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" could screen on time and could have an equal chance. The organization did the same thing in 2013 for "American Hustle."

The Screen Actors Guild has been criticized heavily for closing off voting too early, causing many films to be snubbed from the nominees. For example, in 2007, "Atonement" nor "Sweeney Todd" was screened for the Guild and both ended up snubbed. In 2012, "Django Unchained" was also snubbed, leaving Christoph Waltz off the nomination ballot. Last year, "Selma" did not get screeners in time, and this year, "The Hateful Eight" could not get screeners to the Guild due to delays.

The awards season is always one of the busiest periods for many films. There is no doubt that "Star Wars" is one of the best reviewed films of the year, and it has already been named one of the best films of 2015 by the American Film Institute. The film is likely to be a big part of the Academy race, as well as the BAFTAs, and it will likely generate ratings for the Critics' Choice. However, it will be interesting to see how this unprecedented move will affect the Academy's Best Picture decisions.

Despite the difficulty some films face in order to screen earlier, organizations are unlikely to change their cutoff requirements. Awards shows and organizations often include films that have premiered just a week before cutoff in order to get exposure in such a competitive landscape.

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