An official tweet by The Academy has confirmed that the 93rd Academy Awards ceremony will be delayed. Originally, the event was planned to be broadcast on February 28, 2021. The new date has been announced as April 25, 2021.
This revised date has led to the entire nomination and voting process being shifted back by several weeks. Now, in order to be eligible for an Oscar during the 93rd Academy Awards, a film must be released by the ceremony’s original air date of February 28. Nominations will be announced approximately two weeks later on March 15.
Finally, in order to better coincide with the new Oscars timeline, the planned Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles will officially open on April 30, 2021. A week-long celebration between the ceremony and museum opening is also planned, although an official schedule for these celebrations has not been announced.
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 reason behind this delay is the ongoing global COVID-19 pandemic, which has caused many films to delay or even halt production entirely. Despite the delay, it is possible that there will be a smaller field of films than usual competing for awards. Typically, 10 films are nominated for the coveted Best Picture award – but film fans are currently unsure if ten such films will be able to be found in 2020.
This announcement comes shortly after The Academy expressed a commitment to establishing new representation and inclusion standards which will hopefully help more minority actors, directors, films and more appear on the Oscars shortlist. This comes after several years of controversy regarding an over-representation of white individuals receiving Oscars, especially in the acting and directing categories. These new standards are expected to be revealed publicly at the end of July.
What films would you like to see taking home lots of awards at the delayed 2021 Oscars? Let us know!
