The US anti-war documentary "Fahrenheit 9/11" is still qualified for next year's Oscar race despite that it was shown on TV in Cuban, it was announced Wednesday.

John Pavlik, spokesman for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, said the unauthorized TV broadcasts in Cuban would not disqualify "Fahrenheit 9/11" for the Oscar race early next year.

The Cuban broadcasts originated from pirated copies of the Michael Moore's film, according to Lions Gate Films, one of the distributors of "Fahrenheit 9/11."

Oscar rules prohibit television or Internet broadcast of documentary contenders anywhere in the world within nine months of their theatrical release. This raised question about the qualification of "Fahrenheit 9/11" for next year's Oscar race.

"The rule was never intended to punish people for something like this," Pavlik said.

Along with best documentary, "Fahrenheit 9/11" is also eligible to compete in other Oscar categories.

Moore won an Oscar in 2003 already with his last anti-gun documentary "Bowling for Columbine," which was released in 2002.

"Fahrenheit 9/11," which attacks US President George W. Bush for his actions before and after the Sept. 11 terror attacks in 2001, has grossed 109.4 million US dollars at North America box office, setting a new record for documentaries.