The 2021 Academy Awards have been pushed back from its customary February date to a run in April.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has revealed the 93rd Academy Awards telecast will be pushed to April 25, 2021, Variety reports. The delay has occurred due to the impact of the coronavirus.
“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,” Academy president David Rubin and CEO Dawn Hudson said in a statement. “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 delays also include the push back of the Governors Awards gala, typically set for the Fall and the postponement of the opening of the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures to the same weekend as the Oscars ceremony.
Along with the changes to the date, eligibility has shifted with a feature film having a release date between Jan. 1, 2020, and Feb. 28, 2021.
