The 2021 Oscars Are Postponed, but They'll Still Take Place in Person
Believe it or not, 2021 is only weeks away, which means another awards season is quickly approaching at the top of the New Year. With the ongoing pandemic, however, ceremonies will feel and arrive differently than they did in the beginning of 2020. Here, we dig into what's in store for the crème de la crème of awards shows, the Academy Awards, in 2021.
The ceremony was postponed.
The rumors are true: The 2021 Oscars were pushed back to a later date. Though the event was originally scheduled for February 28, it will now take place two months later on Sunday, April 25, due to the lockdowns and hiatuses resulting from the coronavirus pandemic. It will be broadcast on ABC.
But it will still take place in-person.
Unlike the Emmys, the Academy Awards won't be going virtual. "The Oscars in-person telecast will happen," a rep from the Academy and ABC confirmed to Variety. It's currently unclear what safety precautions and guidelines will be put in place for the event to move forward as usual, but a source says the Academy "has done a walkthrough of the Dolby [Theater, the Oscars venue] recently to see all the multiple options."
Submission deadlines were also moved.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the governing body of the Oscars, also announced changes in deadlines and eligibility rules to accommodate the delay, Variety reported. Qualifying films must be released between January 1, 2020, and February 28, 2021, to be considered. The submission deadline for specialty categories, like animation short or documentary feature, is December 1, 2020. For general entry categories, the deadline is January 15, 2021.
The nominations will be announced on March 15, 2021.
Some guidelines were adjusted to accommodate for releases during the pandemic.
The Oscars have been adapting to the new entertainment landscape amidst stay-at-home orders and social distancing measures. With less people watching films in cinemas right now, the Academy will now consider films that premiered digitally if their studios had originally planned for them to have theatrical releases. The previous requirements stated a film had to have a seven-day release run in Los Angeles to qualify for consideration, according to Variety. Now, films that were set for theaters in New York, Chicago, Miami, Atlanta and the Bay Area will also have a shot.
This story has been updated.
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