The next Oscar ceremony has been postponed for two months due to the coronavirus pandemic and is now scheduled for April 25 by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. This 93rd edition was initially scheduled to take place on February 28, but the health crisis caused the cinemas to close and disrupted the calendar of Hollywood productions.
The Academy has therefore also extended the release period of films eligible for the Oscars, which goes from December 31, 2020 to February 28, 2021. It thus hopes "to give filmmakers the flexibility necessary to finish and release their films without being penalized".
Hope for a "real" ceremony
The Academy had already recently relaxed its rules to exceptionally allow works released directly on video on demand platforms to compete. It also nurtures the hope that the ceremony will be able to take place in front of its usual bed of stars rather than turning into a “virtual”, less glamorous award ceremony.
"We are in unfamiliar territory this year and we will continue to work with our Academy partners to ensure that next year's show is safe," said Karey Burke, President of ABC who is broadcasting this flagship evening from Hollywood. The postponement announced Monday responds in particular to the concerns of many cinema professionals who believe that the films released in 2020 would be too few to allow a solid selection.
The opening of the Oscar museum also postponed
The Oscars have already been postponed in the past, as in 1938 after floods in Los Angeles, after the assassination of Martin Luther King in 1968 and the assassination attempt committed against President Reagan in 1981. But the ceremony never had been delayed more than a week. The Oscars are the apotheosis of a season of cinematographic prizes which usually open in January with the Golden Globes.
The inauguration of the Oscar museum, already postponed several times and whose construction is nearing completion in Los Angeles, has also been postponed by the Academy. The site, which was to be presented to the public on December 14, will finally open on April 30, 2021, in the wake of the 93rd edition of the Oscars.
The Bafta shift, the Emmys maintain
Just after the announcement of the Academy, the organizers of the Bafta, awards for British cinema usually awarded shortly before the Oscars, decided to postpone their ceremony to April 11. This change "takes into account the impact of the pandemic and allows an extended period of eligibility," explain the Bafta.
For its part, the Emmy Awards, equivalent to the Oscars for American television, are still scheduled for the month of September, although discussions are underway on the format to be adopted by the ceremony. The organizers announced Monday that the technical awards, usually given the week before the main ceremony, will give rise to a "virtual event" this year.
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