The Academy Awards has announced that they have pushed back the date for the 2021 Oscars by two months, as the award ceremony will no longer hold on Feb. 28.
The Academy Awards said this on Monday, where they said that the 93rd Academy Awards telecast has been postponed by two months to April 25, 2021.
Academy Awards president David Rubin and CEO Dawn Hudson in a statement, said:
“For over a century, movies have played an important role in comforting, inspiring, and entertaining us during the darkest of times. They certainly have this year. 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,”
“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 Academy also announced that the Governors Awards gala, which takes place in the fall, has been postponed to a later, unspecified date. The December opening of the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures was pushed to April to coincide with the Oscars.
The organization recently extended release date eligibility rules. A feature film must now have a qualifying release date between Jan. 1, 2020, and Feb. 28, 2021. The submission deadline for speciality categories (animated feature film, documentary feature, documentary short subject, international feature film, animated short film and live-action short film) is Dec. 1, 2020.
The submission deadline for general entry categories, including best picture, original score and original song, is now Jan. 15, 2021.
“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.
The Academy’s Scientific and Technical Awards presentation, which was scheduled for June 20, 2020, has been postponed to a later date still to be determined.
Academy key dates for the 2020/2021 Oscar season are as follows:
Preliminary voting begins: Feb 1, 2021
Preliminary voting ends: Feb. 5, 2021
Oscars shortlists announcement: Feb. 9, 2021
Nominations voting begins: Mar. 5, 2021
Nominations voting ends: Mar. 10, 2021
Oscar nominations announcement: Mar. 15, 2021
Oscars nominees luncheon: April 15, 2021
Final voting begins: April 15, 2021
Museum gala: April 17, 2021
Final voting ends: April 20, 2021
Oscars: April 25, 2021
Museum public opening: April 30, 2021