93rd Academy Awards

The 93rd Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), will honor the best films released between January 1, 2020, and February 28, 2021. It is scheduled to take place at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, on April 25, 2021, two months later than it was originally scheduled due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on cinema. The nominations are scheduled to be announced on March 15, 2021.[1]

93rd Academy Awards
DateApril 25, 2021
SiteDolby Theatre
Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Produced byJesse Collins
Stacey Sher
Steven Soderbergh
TV in the United States
NetworkABC

Background

The Academy announced in June 2020 that it was postponing the ceremony from its originally scheduled date of February 28, 2021, to April 25 due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on cinema, therefore allowing the eligibility period for feature films to be extended through February 28. The eligibility criteria had already been modified to account for films originally intended to have a theatrical release but which were ultimately released directly to video. It marks the fourth time that the Academy Awards have been postponed, and the first time since the 6th Academy Awards that films released in two different calendar years will be eligible for award consideration in the same ceremony.[2]

Ceremony information

During its board of governors meeting on April 28, 2020, the Academy voted to consolidate the Best Sound Mixing and Best Sound Editing category into a single Best Sound category (reducing the total number of categories to 23). The Sound branch had raised concerns that the two categories had too much overlap in scope.[3] The rules for Best Original Score now require that a film's score include a minimum of 60% original music, and franchise films and sequels must have a minimum of 80% new music.[3] For the first time, preliminary voting for Best International Feature Film will also be open to all voting members of the Academy.[3]

As part of environmental initiatives, the distribution of physical and hardcopy items such as screener copies, screenplays, and music CDs will be discontinued after the 93rd Academy Awards. Screeners will be served solely through the members-only "Academy Screening Room" streaming service going forward.[3]

On December 8, 2020, Jesse Collins, Stacey Sher, and Steven Soderbergh were named the producers of the ceremony.[4]

Impact of the COVID–19 pandemic
See also: Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on cinema

The COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on the American film industry – including interruptions to film production and the nationwide closures of cinemas due to restrictions on commerce and public gatherings – is expected to have a major impact on the 93rd ceremony. In particular, the Academy Awards require films to have received a theatrical release in the previous calendar year, in at least one cinema in Los Angeles County for at least seven days with three screenings per-day, in order to be eligible. The Golden Globe Awards had changed its criteria for its 2021 edition to allow films originally scheduled to have a "bona fide theatrical release" in Los Angeles between March 15 and April 30 to be eligible if released direct-to-streaming.[5] In regard to the Oscars, the Academy stated that it was "in the process of evaluating all aspects of this uncertain landscape and what changes may need to be made".[5]

The AMPAS delayed its board of governors meeting to April 28,[6][7] where it voted to temporarily allow films first released via password-protected (covering subscription services such as Amazon Video, Disney+, Hulu, HBO Max and Netflix) or transactional video on demand to be eligible for nominations at the 93rd Academy Awards, if they were originally scheduled to have a theatrical release, and are uploaded to AMPAS's online screening service within 60 days of their public release. The previous requirement for a seven-day theatrical release will be reinstated once cinemas have sufficiently resumed operations. To allow ease of compliance with the criteria, eligible screenings will also be allowed to occur in other major cities besides LA, specifically Atlanta, Chicago, Miami, New York City, and the San Francisco Bay Area.[3][8][9]

There were talks of postponing or even cancelling the 93rd ceremony.[10] On June 15, 2020, the Academy announced that the ceremony would be delayed by two months from February 28, 2021, to April 25, 2021, and the eligibility periods for feature films would be extended through February 28, 2021.[11] In a joint statement, AMPAS president David Rubin and CEO Dawn Hudson explained that "for over a century, movies have played an important role in comforting, inspiring, and entertaining us during the darkest of times. They certainly have this year. Our hope, in extending the eligibility period and our Awards date, is to provide the flexibility filmmakers need to finish and release their films without being penalized for something beyond anyone’s control."[11] The Academy's Governors Awards and Scientific and Technical Awards have been postponed indefinitely.[11] Following the postponement announcement, the British Academy Film Awards also moved from February to April,[11] and the Golden Globe Awards took the Oscars' previous date by moving to February 28.[12]

On October 7, 2020, the Academy issued a clarification of its eligibility criteria, stating that a week of nightly screenings at a drive-in theater within the aforementioned cities would also render films eligible for consideration in the 93rd ceremony.[13]

On December 1, 2020, a representative of the Academy told Variety that an in-person ceremony "will happen", as opposed to a fully remote or hybrid format. A hybrid format was used by the 72nd Primetime Emmy Awards, where the host and award presenters were present on-site, but all nominees appeared from remote locations.[14]

See also

References
  1. "THE ACADEMY AND ABC SET APRIL 25, 2021 AS NEW SHOW DATE FOR 93RD OSCARS®". Oscars.org | Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. June 15, 2020. Retrieved February 5, 2021.
  2. "Oscars Pushed Back to April 25, Eligibility Window Extended". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved June 15, 2020.
  3. Hammond, Pete (April 28, 2020). "Oscars Keeping Show Date But Make Big News As Academy Lightens Eligibility Rules, Combines Sound Categories, Ends DVD Screeners and More". Deadline. Retrieved May 6, 2020.
  4. Kay, Jeremy (December 8, 2020). "Jesse Collins, Stacey Sher, Steven Soderbergh to produce 2021 Oscars". Screen. Retrieved December 9, 2020.
  5. Hammond, Pete (March 26, 2020). "Golden Globes Alter Eligibility Rules For Theatrical Releases In Light Of Coronavirus Crisis; Others Including Oscar Expected To Follow". Deadline. Retrieved April 20, 2020.
  6. Hammond, Pete (April 7, 2020). "Oscars: Academy Delays April Board Meeting; Key Fall Film Festivals Hope To Keep Lights On For Movie Awards Season". Deadline. Retrieved April 20, 2020.
  7. Desta, Yohana. "Will Coronavirus Complicate the Oscars Too?". Vanity Fair. Retrieved April 20, 2020.
  8. Sharf, Zack (April 28, 2020). "Oscars Will Allow VOD Releases to Qualify While Major Theaters Are Closed". IndieWire. Retrieved May 6, 2020.
  9. Malkin, Marc. "Oscars Will Consider Films That Didn't Play in Theaters as Part of New Academy Rules". Variety. Retrieved April 29, 2020.
  10. Malkin, Marc (May 19, 2020). "Film Academy Considering Postponing 2021 Oscars (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved May 19, 2020.
  11. Malkin, Marc (June 15, 2020). "Oscars 2021 Pushed Back by Two Months". Variety. Retrieved June 15, 2020.
  12. "Golden Globes Sets Late February Date After Oscars Delay". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved June 22, 2020.
  13. Shafer, Ellise (October 7, 2020). "Oscars Update Eligibility Rules to Allow Drive-In Screenings". Variety. Retrieved October 20, 2020.
  14. Davis, Clayton (December 1, 2020). "No Zoom for Oscars 2021, as Academy Says 'In-Person Telecast Will Happen' (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved December 2, 2020.

Official websites
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