Oscars Will Be Postponed

For the fourth time in history, the Oscars have been postponed due to the novel coronavirus. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced Monday that the 93^rd Academy Awards telecast has been postponed by two months, from February 28, 2021, to April 25, 2021.

In a statement, Academy president David Rubin and CEO Dawn Hudson said: “For over a century, movies have played an important role in comforting, inspiring, and entertaining us during the darkest of times. They certainly have this year. Our hope, in extending the eligibility period and our Awards date, is to provide the flexibility filmmakers need to finish and release their films without being penalized for something beyond anyone’s control. This coming Oscars and the opening of our new museum will mark an historic moment, gathering movie fans around the world to unite through cinema.”

The Governors Awards gala, which typically takes place in the fall, has also been postponed. Date TBD. The December opening of the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures was pushed to April, and will happen in tandem with the Oscars.

The eligibility rules have also been loosened to accommodate disrupted productions. Now, the submission deadline for specialty categories (animated feature film, documentary feature, documentary short subject, international feature film, animated short film and live action short film) is Dec. 1, 2020. The submission deadline for general entry categories, including best picture, original score and original song, is now Jan. 15, 2021, Variety reports.