So what are the Oscars to do? With so many theatrical films pushed to digital without ever getting a traditional release, will there even be an Academy Awards next year? Well, of course there will, and for one year only streaming movies will be allowed to participate.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has announced that for the 2020 Oscars there will be an exception made allowing for streaming movies to be nominated for Best Picture and other general categories. There are numerous caveats, however. For instance, the movie must have had a theatrical release planned, but went to digital because of the pandemic. They are temporarily waving the established rule that films needed a one-week theatrical run in Los Angeles to qualify. That’s hard to do when all L.A. theaters are closed.
There are a couple of other provisions:
- The film must be made available on the secure Academy Screening Room member-only streaming site within 60 days of the film’s streaming or VOD release;
- The film must meet all other eligibility requirements
Basically, the Scott Adkins movie that was never going to open in a theater? It still can’t qualify for an Oscar. But a movie like Judd Apatow’s The King of Staten Island? It can. The question is what does this mean for a movie in the grey area, like HBO’s Bad Education, which premiered at festival but aired on the TV network?
Interestlingly, the Academy can throw out all of these changes basically when they want to, or when enough experts say theaters are cleared to be open again.
“On a date to be determined by the Academy, and when theaters reopen in accordance with federal, state and local specified guidelines and criteria, this rules exemption will no longer apply. All films released thereafter will be expected to comply with the standard Academy theatrical qualifying requirements.”
None of the major theater chains have made a decision on when that’s going to be, and there’s a wide gap between what the federal and state governments consider is safe. Just sounds like a massive headache.
However, when theaters do open, the Academy will expand eligibility by allowing for venues in other cities: New York City, the Bay Area, Chicago, Atlanta, and Miami.
Another big change? The two sound categories have been combined into one Achievement in Sound category. No more will you be asked to describe the difference between Sound Editing and Sound Mixing. I’ll confess, this question bugs me greatly every year, but if your average person can’t tell the difference it’s probably best to do it this way.
Finally, in the Original Score category, a contending film must now be comprised of at least 60% new music. Furthermore, franchise movies and sequels, such as Oscar powerhouse Star Wars, will now need to be 80% new music.
The 93rd Academy Awards are still scheduled for February 27, 2021.
