Sponsored message
Logged in as
Audience-funded nonprofit news
radio tower icon laist logo
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
Subscribe
  • Listen Now Playing Listen
News

Oscars Delayed Until April

Freshly painted Oscar Statues in preparation for the Governors Awards and the 82nd Academy Awards at a secret location on Oct. 19, 2009 in Northern Los Angeles County. (Kristian Dowling/Getty Images)

One year ago, Congress defunded public media. Now that we're 100% community funded, please become a sustaining member or increase your existing membership today.

Hollywood’s awards season already seems endless. But now those “For Your Consideration” will last even longer.

Word came today that the Oscars are being pushed back two months.

Instead of Feb. 28 of next year, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences on Monday postponed the Academy Awards to April 25, 2021. In another delay tied to the pandemic, the organization said its Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, which was going to be unveiled this December after multiple delays, now won’t until April 30.

And there were other changes. Rather than require feature films to premiere before the end of the year, the academy extended the Oscar eligibility cutoff date to Feb. 28. The academy previously announced that movies for next year’s ceremony did not have to premiere in a movie theater or a film festival in order to compete.

David Rubin, the academy’s president, and CEO Dawn Hudson said in a statement:

“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.”

The academy also postponed its Scientific and Technical Awards, originally set for next week, to an unspecified future date, while this fall’s annual Governors Awards have been canceled entirely.

The academy’s museum, at the corner of Wilshire and Fairfax Blvds., has been delayed a number of times; it was once set to open its doors last year.

Sponsored message

“With the unprecedented and devastating pandemic happening around the world and our commitment first and foremost to the health and safety of our visitors and staff, we have made the difficult decision to wait a few more months to open our doors,” Bill Kramer, the museum’s director, said in a statement.

MORE ON THE ACADEMY

Our news is free on LAist. To make sure you get our coverage: Sign up for our daily newsletters. To support our non-profit public service journalism: Donate Now.

One year ago, Congress voted to defund public media, eliminating a critical $1.7 million from our budget every year going forward. But they couldn’t silence us, and we’re not going anywhere. LAist is now 100% community funded and that means we’re taking our future into our own hands and turning to you to keep local reporting strong.

You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.

If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief

Make your tax-deductible donation today