The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences today announced that 15 films have been selected as semifinalists for Achievement in Visual Effects for the 82nd Academy Awards®.

The films are listed below in alphabetical order:

• “Angels & Demons”
• “Avatar”
• “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”
• “Where the Wild Things Are”

In early January, the members of the Academy’s Visual Effects Branch Executive Committee, who selected the semifinalists, will narrow the list to seven.

All members of the Visual Effects Branch will be invited to view 15-minute excerpts from each of the seven shortlisted films on Thursday, January 21. Following the screenings, the members will vote to nominate three films for final Oscar consideration.

The 82nd Academy Awards nominations will be announced on Tuesday, February 2, 2010, at 5:30 a.m. PT in the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater.

Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2009 will be presented on Sunday, March 7, 2010, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center®, and televised live by the ABC Television Network. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 200 countries worldwide.