Oscars 2021: Academy Awards President Reveals New Details About In-Person Event

It was previously confirmed that, unlike the Emmys that went all virtual last year, this year’s Academy Awards won’t follow that path and that “in-person telecast will happen.” Reports have circulated over the past few weeks about further developments into how the Academy will make sure this happens, and now a letter from AMPAS president David Rubin has shed some light on this while also delivering a classic good news, bad news situation. Good news, all of the nominees will be able to attend the ceremony; bad news, not many other people will be allowed at the event unless they’re presenting or a guest of a nominee.

“Though we’d hoped the pandemic would be more in our rearview mirror by the month of April, the health and safety of our members and Oscar nominees are our primary concern, so we’ve had to make some necessary decisions about some of our highly anticipated Oscar-week events,” Rubin wrote in his letter, via THR. “This year, those attending the awards in person will be nominees, their guest, and presenters — with an audience of millions watching and cheering from all around the world. As a result, we will not be able to conduct our annual member ticket lottery.”

He also added, “We also will not hold any in-person events, including nominations screenings, the Oscar Nominees Luncheon and such beloved Oscar-week occasions as the International Feature Film nominee cocktail reception, and public programming for the Short Film, Documentary, Animated Feature, International Feature Film and Makeup and Hairstyling categories. I’m sorry to add that this year’s awards also will not include a post-Oscars Governors Ball celebration, or Oscar Night watch parties in London and New York.”

The letter also confirmed that this years ceremony will be held at two locations in Los Angeles with both Union Station and Dolby Theatre hosting the event in some form.

Originally set for February 28th of next year, the 93rd Academy Awards have already been postponed until April. This delay will allow the window of competition to be extended for the awards, making the field of entries even bigger than before. The nominations for this year’s Academy Awards were announced this morning with the eight films nominated for Best Picture including: The Father, Judas and the Black Messiah, Mank, Minari, Nomadland, Promising Young Woman, Sound of Metal, and The Trial of the Chicago 7.

The 93rd Oscars will take place on Sunday, April 25, 2021, and will be televised live on ABC at 8 P.M. ET/5 P.M. PT.

(Cover Photo by Carlo Allegri/Getty Images)