Films released on the Internet without going through the cinema box, due to the pandemic of Covid-19, will still be able to compete this year at the Oscars, announced Tuesday April 28 the Academy of cinema arts and sciences, which has changed temporarily its regulations to adapt to exceptional circumstances.
Normally, the Academy, which hands out the prestigious statuettes, requires that the films have been screened at least seven days in cinemas in Los Angeles before they can be selected. But Californian cinemas have been completely closed since mid-March and no date has yet been decided for their reopening.
"Until further notice, and only under 93e edition of the Oscars, the films which had planned a theatrical release but which are initially diffused on commercial streaming platforms can be qualified ", announced the Academy in a press release.
The debate has been raging for a few years around films produced by video on demand platforms, like Netflix with The Irishman this year and Roma the previous year. Until now, they had had to resolve to briefly screen their works in cinemas before putting them on the Internet to satisfy the Oscars.
"Temporary exception"
The Academy always claims to want to defend "The magic of cinema" projected on the big screen but recognizes the need for a "Temporary exception" in its regulations, due to the historic pandemic of Covid-19.
Once the cinemas have been able to reopen, the Academy will set a date from which the usual regulations will resume, but films screened in cities other than Los Angeles will also be eligible for the Oscars.
Academy officials, who met on videoconference Tuesday, also decided to merge two technical Oscars, sound mixing and sound editing.
In March, the Golden Globes, which traditionally usher in the film awards season in the United States, were the first to relax their regulations to take into account the unprecedented situation brought on by the pandemic.
The 93e Oscar ceremony to be held in Hollywood on February 28, 2021.
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