Uncertainty grows about the Oscars 2021

Yet another bad news for moviegoers. After having caused the postponement of Hollywood blockbusters due to the closure of cinemas, the Covid-19 pandemic should do the same with the Oscars 2021. According to Variety , the American cinema academy, which has not confirmed or denied this information, would consider postponing its 93rd edition, scheduled for February 28. The Oscars and their broadcaster ABC have not yet discussed the possible alternative dates for the ceremony.

The English tabloid The Sun said last week that a four-month postponement would be possible and would be accompanied by an extension of the eligibility period for films to win an appointment. Normally, it runs from January 1 to December 31, 2020.

According to the British daily, the shortage of feature films was one of the factors that convinced the Academy to shake up its calendar. In March, the organization had already relaxed its rules by abandoning the time of the epidemic the obligation to broadcast films in theaters. Could hope to get a nomination for any work that had the plan to go out in theaters, even if the feature film in question was finally released on VOD.

The circuit of collateral victim festivals?

With the containment measures having led to the almost global closure of American, European and Asian cinemas, several films that are Oscar favorites have postponed their release: The French Dispatch by Wes Anderson (who was selected at Cannes as the film's premiere). 'announce Thierry Frémaux), Soul of Pixar, the last James Bond No Time To Die . Large uncertainties reign over the fate of Tenet by Christopher Nolan whose release is still planned by Warner Bros in July, but until when if the rooms remain closed or deserted? By a game of dominoes, if the recovery is delayed, will the films having bet on an exit at the end of the year like Dune by Denis Villeneuve also have to revise their plans?

Giving the “la” of the award season, will the Oscars be emulated by the Golden Globes, the guilds of actors, producers and directors or even the British Bafta? To what extent, Vanity Fair wonders , will a new date affect the festival circuit? With the current criteria and the cancellation of Cannes, Venice, Telluride and Toronto which take place in September become unavoidable launching pads, even if voices are already raised to predict editions with reduced airfoil, especially if international travel remain inadvisable or restricted.

If the Oscars shift, will festivals be tempted to do the same? One can also imagine that later demonstrations become more strategic for studios and their campaign directors.

At the start of the epidemic, several specialized and teasing journalists had drawn up the list of films already released and which were therefore able to find themselves in the running for the Oscars. And reveled in alternative and improbable charts. Among them were the drug traffickers Gentlemen by Guy Ritchie, The Way Back with Ben Affleck, The Invisible Man with Elisabeth Moss, the new adaptation of the classic by Jane Austen Emma and the independent films First Cow and The Assistant.