On Monday, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced that the 2021 Oscars, 93rd Academy Awards has been postponed by two months, and will now take place on 25th April 2021 as opposed to 28th February. "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," Academy president David Rubin and CEO Dawn Hudson said in a statement. "This coming Oscars and the opening of our new museum will mark a historic moment, gathering movie fans around the world to unite through cinema."
The organization recently extended release date eligibility rules. A feature film’s qualifying release date must now be between 1st January 2020, and 28th February 2021 and the submission deadline for specialty categories is now 1st December 2020. The submission deadline for general entry categories, including best picture, original score, and the original song will now be 15th January 2021.
The format of the Oscar ceremony at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, telecast on ABC, has not been determined.This is the fourth time the Oscars have been postponed. On Friday, the Academy announced it was forming a task force with the Producers Guild of America “to develop and implement new representation and inclusion standards for Oscars eligibility by July 31, 2020.”“We will make the final determination regarding the timing of the 2021 Golden Globe ceremony and telecast in consultation with public health officials and proper authorities and as more information becomes available,” Lorenzo Soria, President of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association said.
The Academy also announced that the Governors Awards gala, which typically takes place in the fall, has been postponed to a later date. The December opening of the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, previously expected to open on Dec. 14, 2020, was pushed to April as a result of Oscar’s delay. It will now be unveiled to a select audience at a gala event a few days ahead of the Oscars on the 17th of the month and will open to the public a few days after the Oscars, on 30th April. “We find ourselves in uncharted territory this year and will continue to work with our partners at the Academy to ensure next year’s show is a safe and celebratory event that also captures the excitement of the opening of the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures,” ABC Entertainment president Karey Burke said in a statement.