Amid coronavirus pandemic, various events like Cannes and MET Gala, Tony Awards, and festivals have been cancelled or postponed to avoid large gatherings. With films being postponed and productions halted, filmmakers are not sure when the films will be released in theatres. With that being said, it seems like The Academy will have to postpone Oscars 2021. As of now, the award show is set to take place on February 28, 2021, but might be delayed.
Academy president David Rubin told Variety that it was too early to predict the state of the Oscars 2021. “It’s impossible to know what the landscape will be,” he said. “We know we want to celebrate film but we do not know exactly what form it will take.”
Since theatres are shut amid the crisis, in April 2020, The Academy put a temporary hold on the rules that stated that a film has to have a seven-day theatrical run in a commercial theater in Los Angeles County to qualify for the awards. This came after some films saw direct to OTT release.
The Academy is yet to officially announce the postponement.
