Oscars: 93rd Academy Awards pushed further back to April 2021; all you need to know

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced on June 15 that 93rd Oscars will be rescheduled for the first time in 40 years and will not be held as scheduled on February 28, 2021. The board of governors reportedly said that the mega-event will take place on April 25, 2021. Academy President David Rubin and Academy CEO Dawn Hudson reportedly said in a joint statement that the movies have played a crucial role over the century. They added that they are extending the ceremony to provide the flexibility filmmakers need to finish and release their films without being penalized for something that is not in their ambit. 

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Academy to extend  eligibility windows

In addition, the Academy also agreed to extend the eligibility windows for the movies which will be further extended until February 28, 2021. The deadlines for the submission have also been pushed back, according to the reports. The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures which was earlier set to open on  December 14, 2020, will now open on April 30, 2021. 
On the other hand, it was also reportedly announced on later Monday that the British Academy Film Awards will also postpone dates which are now expected to be held on April 11, 2021.

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According to media tabloids, The Academy's board of governors are all set to conduct a virtual meeting to talk and discuss next year’s award ceremony. Owing to the ongoing pandemic, reportedly it is believed that the organisers of Hollywood's biggest night, will consider delaying the 2021 Academy Awards.

As per reports, the 54 governors involved in the Academy are expected to delay the annual awards gala by about eight weeks. Which means that as a result, the gala night will be pushed forward to April or May of 2021. Apart from this, the Academy will also extend the eligibility window beyond the traditional December 31st cut-off. Due to the pandemic, the production of many films has been put on hold while many ace filmmakers have also decided to delay the release of several prominent films.

According to the John Hopkins tally, US is considered to be worst hit nation by the coronavirus pandemic having 21,13,366 total cases and 116,135 deaths. 

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READ: Academy Considers Pushing Back The Schedule For Oscars 2021; Read Details Here