Oscars 2022 delayed by a month as pandemic guidelines prolonged – Occasions of India

The Oscars have been postponed for a second consecutive yr, and relaxed eligibility guidelines permitting movies to skip film theaters will probably be saved in place because of the pandemic, the Academy stated Thursday.

The 94th Academy Awards will now happen on March 27, 2022, precisely a month later than initially deliberate, and are set to return to their conventional venue at Hollywood‘s Dolby Theatre.

After scores nosedived for this yr’s uncommon, pandemic-affected Oscars — which had been held at a Los Angeles practice station — the postponement avoids doubtlessly expensive clashes with the Tremendous Bowl and Winter Olympics.

American soccer’s greatest occasion takes place in Los Angeles subsequent yr on February 13, whereas the worldwide winter sports activities extravaganza is because of be held in Beijing from February 4-20.

However the impression of Covid-19 — which reworked Hollywood’s award season final yr, shuttering film theaters, delaying dozens of main movies and forcing many ceremonies to go surfing — additionally continues to be felt.

Historically the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences requires a minimum of a seven-day run in Los Angeles theaters for films to be eligible for Hollywood’s greatest prize.

With large screens closed, these guidelines had been relaxed final yr, in what was extensively seen as a lift for films on streaming platforms. “This yr, which continues to be impacted by the pandemic, eligibility necessities for the 94th Academy Awards will probably be in step with the addendums made for the 93rd Awards season,” stated the Academy of Movement Image Arts and Sciences in a press release.

Movies launched at theaters in 5 main cities outdoors Los Angeles will stay eligible, and the modifications are set to be prolonged into the next yr’s Oscars, and doubtlessly past. Nevertheless, with US film theaters now largely reopened and movie manufacturing accelerating once more, final yr’s resolution to increase the calendar window wherein movies will be launched and nonetheless qualify for Oscars won’t be repeated. Movies wishing to contend for subsequent yr’s Oscars have to be launched by December 31.

The Academy’s resolution to delay might trigger different main Hollywood award ceremonies to comply with swimsuit in a domino impact. However NBC has already introduced that subsequent yr’s conventional season-opening Golden Globes won’t be broadcast as a result of an ongoing row over the organizers’ file on variety and transparency.