Oscar Awards Won’t Allow Zoom Acceptance Speeches This Year

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is moving forward with the 93rd Academy Awards next month come hell or high water. With much of the country slowly starting to reopen after the global COVID-19 pandemic, the show’s producers intend to make it as normal of an affair as possible, even removing any possibility for an Oscar-winner to dial in remotely for their acceptance speech.

In a letter distributed by the Academy on Friday, show producers Jesse Collins, Stacey Sher, and Steve Soderbergh revealed that the event will be an “intimate” event hosted at two locations in Los Angeles — Union Station and Hollywood Blvd’s Dolby Theatre.

“For those of you unable to attend because of scheduling or continued uneasiness about traveling, we want you to know there will not be an option to Zoom in for the show,” a letter distributed to Oscar nominee reads (via IndieWire). “We are going to great lengths to provide a safe and ENJOYABLE evening for all of you in person, as well as for all the millions of film fans around the world, and we feel the virtual thing will diminish those efforts.”

This year’s show is set to take place on Sunday, April 25th and will receive the usual simulcast treatment. Though the Dolby Theatre is typically packed year-in and year-out, this year’s award show is only limited to nominees and their guests. As with other Hollywood productions, there will also be strict COVID measures in place such as on-site testing.

“Regarding the practical aspects of the show, our plan is to stage an intimate, in-person event at Union Station in Los Angeles, with additional show elements live from the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood,” the letter adds.”Of course, your first thought is CAN THAT BE DONE SAFELY? The answer is YES, IT CAN.”

The statement continues, “We are treating the event as an active movie set, with specially designed testing cadences to ensure up-to-the-minute results, including an on-site COVID safety team with PCR testing capability. There will be specific instructions for those of you traveling in from outside of Los Angeles, and other instructions for those of you who are already based in Los Angeles. This will all come directly to you from the Academy to ensure you have a safe, carefree evening (a glimpse of the future?).”