The 93rd edition of the Oscar, scheduled to take place on February 28, 2021, has been postponed to April 25, 2021. The information was released by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, through a statement signed by David Rubin and Dawn Hudson, president and executive director of the Academy, respectively. In addition, the eligibility period for films has also been postponed, from December 31, 2020, to February 28, 2021.
Oscar 2021 postponed
This will be the fourth time that an Oscar ceremony will be postponed. The first happened in 1938, due to a flood that destroyed much of Los Angeles. In 1968, the event was postponed due to the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., while in 1981, the cause was the attempted assassination of President Ronald Reagan.
In the statement, Rubin and Hudson highlighted the importance of cinema for troubled times, such as those faced by humanity due to the new coronavirus pandemic. They also stressed that the measure aims to not harm the directors, who will not be able to finish their films on the planned dates.
“For more than a century, films have played an important role, comforting, inspiring and entertaining us in the darkest times,” said the statement. “They certainly have [done this] this year. Our hope, by extending the period of eligibility and the date of delivery of our awards, is to provide the flexibility that filmmakers need to finish and release their films without being penalized for anything beyond anyone’s control. ”
Exception for streaming
The Academy will also change the rules for movies released directly on streaming services. The goal is not to harm productions that will reach platforms like Netflix or Amazon Prime Video, before theaters. The change, however, requires that the films already have a commercial debut date in the cities of Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Chicago, Miami and Atlanta.
