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Today, The Academy announced some changes to their rules of eligibility for films to be considered for Oscar nominations. In the past, a film was required to release theatrically for seven days in a commercial theater located within Los Angeles County to be considered eligible for an Oscar nomination, but after a Board of Governors meeting today held by The Academy, it was decided that an exception would be made for films releasing digitally for the next award ceremony. There is, however, a caveat.
While films releasing digitally are eligible for Oscar nominations, they first must have had a theatrical release date that was forced to be postponed. The films also must be submitted to the Academy Screening Room streaming service reserved for Academy Members within 60 days of the film’s Video On-Demand release. On the temporary deviation from the rules, The Academy released a statement from President David Rubin and CEO Dawn Hudson:
“The Academy firmly believes there is no greater way to experience the magic of movies than to see them in a theater. Our commitment to that is unchanged and unwavering. Nonetheless, the historically tragic COVID-19 pandemic necessitates this temporary exception to our awards eligibility rules. The Academy supports our members and colleagues during this time of uncertainty. We recognize the importance of their work being seen and also celebrated, especially now, when audiences appreciate movies more than ever.”
When movie theaters are once more allowed to re-open, the original stipulation of a 7-day minimum theatrical run will be once more implemented, though no films already released via VOD will not have to re-release in the theaters. When theaters do in fact re-open, The Academy announced they will include more qualifying theaters across the nation, in areas such as New York City, Chicago, and more!
The Academy also voted today to get rid of the Sound Mixing and Sound Editing categories as separate awards. Instead, they will be combined to become a single award. This change reduces the number of categories from 26 to 25 awards offered.
Finally, The Academy has also decided to allow all members of The Academy to vote in preliminary rounds on international feature films. A stipulation was put in place, however, to ensure that there is a viewing minimum for members to qualify.
What do you think of these changes? Let us know in the comments below! And be sure to follow The Cinema Spot on Twitter (@TheCinemaSpot) and Instagram (@thecinemaspot_) to stay up to date on the latest cinema news!
Source: Variety
Hi! I'm Zach, the Editor-in-Chief here at The Cinema Spot. The TCS team and I are always hard at work to put out the best content we can, and we're even developing a few new features! Be sure to keep an eye out for the latest contests, daily news articles, comprehensive reviews, and more!
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