Warren Miller was a pioneer in the field of adventure filmmaking who made and narrated 54 feature-length films—starting in the 1950s—that showcased the highs and lows of extreme winter sports. He distributed them in his own manner—in gyms and town halls all over the country—employing scores of budding filmmakers in the process, even as he helped transform the cottage industry of skiing into a multi-national enterprise.

Miller’s death in January prompted an outpouring of appreciation from journalists around the world, and skiers close to home: The New York Times wrote a lengthy obituary as did the Los Angeles Times and the Associated Press. His friends and family even scheduled an international Warren Miller Day on Saturday, February 17, encouraging fans worldwide to mourn Miller’s death by taking a ski run in his honor. The hashtag #RIPWarrenMiller generated 1 million impressions on social-media channels.

Miller was truly beloved. But is he Oscar worthy?

With the Oscars a little more than a week away, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences already has determined who will land in the In Memoriam segment of the show—one of the most popular moments in the ceremony, which moves many and leaves others outraged. Did Miller make the cut this year?

“In more than 25 years of doing public relations, I’ve never seen this level of outpouring of interest, love, and respect surrounding one person’s passing,” said Miller family spokesperson Mark Peterson. “That speaks to his influence both in the film industry and beyond. Warren was unique in founding a whole genre of filmmaking as well as inspiring people all over the world to find freedom by getting out on the mountains.”

But despite Miller’s considerable achievements, his inclusion in the In Memoriam segment is not a guarantee. The Academy has the unenviable job of curating the three- to four-minute segment, which usually features between 40 and 45 names, from a list that this year began with close to 800 people. That gritty process was handled by a committee of Academy members during one lengthy January meeting, where the merits of Hollywood’s most-recently departed luminaries are discussed.

One source who’s been involved in the decision in years past said the meeting can go on “for hours and hours,” adding, “It’s all about status. It’s impossible to be fair. You try, every year, to add in a certain number of editors and art directors. It’s about a person’s prominence in their field, and you don’t want to just go with the movie stars or the big-time directors.”