Film’s most prestigious night is being rescheduled for the first time in 40 years due to the coronavirus pandemic. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced on Monday that the 93rd Oscars will no longer take place on February 28 as planned. The board of governors announced a new date and now the show will take place on April 25, 2021.
Next year’s Oscar ceremony has been pushed by two months. These adjustments have come roughly three months after the coronavirus pandemic disrupted nearly every industry in the United States and rest of the globe, including the entertainment industry. Since then, almost every aspect of film and television production has been delayed or had to be reimagined, from film releases to film festivals.
Read: Oscars will allow streaming-only movies to compete next year
According to BBC, organisers have also agreed to extend the eligibility window beyond 31st December, 2020 to the end of February. Submission deadlines have also shifted back.
It’s true! Next year’s #Oscars will happen on April 25, 2021.
Here’s what else you need to know:
– The eligibility period for the Oscars will be extended to February 28, 2021
– Nominations will be announced on March 15, 2021
– @AcademyMuseum will open on April 30, 2021 pic.twitter.com/cTsqOfsf8k— The Academy (@TheAcademy) June 15, 2020
The BAFTAS are traditionally held two weeks prior to the Academy Awards and are now slated for April 11, 2021. The pandemic has already halted work on a number of films which were due to be released by the end of the year.
The Oscars has only been delayed three times before – due to LA flooding in 1938, after the assassination of Dr Martin Luther King Jr in 1968, and following the attempted assassination of President Ronald Reagan in 1981.
It’s not yet known if the ceremony will be virtual or in person as it is too early to say. Nominations will be announced on March 15, 2021.
