In light of the ongoing wildfires in Los Angeles, the Oscar nominations have been pushed back. Awards season calendar continues to be impacted.
The Oscar nominations have been pushed back almost a week from their original date amid the ongoing California wildfires.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences have said that the nominations will now be announced on Thursday 23 January.
“We are all devastated by the impact of the fires and the profound losses experienced by so many in our community,” Academy CEO Bill Kramer and Academy President Janet Yang said in a joint statement. “The Academy has always been a unifying force within the film industry, and we are committed to standing together in the face of hardship.”
The film academy also extended the nominations voting period for its members through Friday. The voting period was initially set to end on Sunday 12 January.
“Due to the still-active fires in the Los Angeles area, we feel it is necessary to extend our voting period and move the date of our nominations announcement to allow additional time for our members.”
The annual nominees luncheon has been cancelled, and the Scientific and Technical Awards, previously set for 18 February, will be rescheduled.
The statement from Kramer and Yang continued: “Additionally, as we want to be sensitive to the infrastructure and lodging needs of the region in these next few weeks, it is imperative that we make some changes to our schedule of events, which we believe will have the support of our industry. Our members always share how important it is for us to come together as a community, and we are determined to use this opportunity to celebrate our resilient and compassionate industry. We also look forward to honoring our frontline workers who have aided with the fires, recognizing those impacted, and encouraging people to join the Academy in supporting the relief efforts. We will get through this together and bring a sense of healing to our global film community.”
Elsewhere, the Writers Guild of America postponed the announcement of their nominees “until further notice.” Originally scheduled for 9 January, the nominations were first delayed until yesterday before a second postponement. That ceremony is still slated for 15 February.
Other events impacted include the Critics Choice Awards, which have been moved from 12 January to 26 January, and several productions have already been affected – including the series Fallout and Abbott Elementary, as well as the late night show Jimmy Kimmel Live!.
The 97th Oscars will still happen on 2 March at the Dolby Theatre.
Additional sources • AP, Variety