The Oscars are planning to take place this year, and will be live rather than virtual.  Indie wire adds, “The 93rd Oscars will be held on Sunday, April 25, 2021, at Union Station Los Angeles and the Dolby Theatre at Hollywood and Highland Center in Hollywood, and international locations via satellite, and will be televised live on ABC at 8 p.m. ET.” The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences have noted that the best way to have an in-person ceremony, while prioritizing the audience’s health, is to hold the award show in two different locations.

Since many theatres across the country have closed due to COVID, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences decided to postpone the Oscars, pushing it from February to April. Vox noted, “The organization most likely hoped that by the turn of the year, the pandemic would have subsided, movie theatres would be more widely open—particularly in the key markets of Los Angeles and New York—and that it would be possible to show movies in theatres and hold an in-person ceremony.”

Even though the event won’t be completely like how it used to be, they still want it to be in person. There will be COVID restrictions at the ceremony and attendees will have to follow the guidelines. Moving the Oscars date a few months back actually gave the producers time to plan how the show can take place safely. 

The team that will produce the Oscars includes Steven Soderbergh and the Directors Guild task force navigating COVID-safe film production. They noted that the ceremony will be held outdoors at the Union Station, with a few live features at the Dolby Theatre. “We are treating the event as an active movie set, with specially designed testing sadences to ensure up-to-the-minute results, including an on-site COVID safety team with PCR testing capability,” Vox included. There will also be no host at the show.

Even though theatres were not fully open the past year, several movies were available for viewers to watch on streaming services. Before the closing and restrictions placed on movie theatres, certain movies that were planned to be shown in the cinema, and movies that were released on digital platforms qualified for the Oscars. 

The list of Oscar nominees includes “two female directors and nine actors of colour nominated in the historic year,” The Guardian noted. These nominees are Chloe Zhao and Emerald Fennell, who are up for best director.

Some of the notable nominees The Guardian included are:

Best Director: Thomas Vinterberg, Another Round: Emerald Fennell, Promising Young Women: David Fincher, Mank: Lee Isaac Chung, Minauri: Chloe Zhao, Nomadland

Best Actor in a Leading Role: Riz Ahmed: Sound of Metal, Chadwick Boseman: Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, The Father: Anthony Hopkins, 

Best Actress in a Leading Role: Viola Davis: Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, Andra Day: The United States vs Billie Holiday, Vanessa Kirby: Pieces of a Women, Frances McDormand: Nomadland, Carey Mulligan: Promising Young Woman

Best Picture: The Father, Judas and the Black Messiah, Mank, Minari, Nomadland, Promising Young Woman, Sound of Metal, The Trial of the Chicago 7

Best International Feature Film: Another Round, Better Days, Collective, The Man Who Sold His Skin, Quo Vadis, Aida?

Best Animated Feature Film: Onward, Over the Moon, A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon, Soul, Wolfwalkers

Overall there are plenty of nominees that are competing for the Oscar. Even though this award show won’t be completely normal, the staff is trying their best to make it as close to normal as possible, in a safe way. People interested can tune in to watch to see how the Oscars will play out and who will be rewarded. 

The full list of Oscar nominees can be found at 

The Guardian’s Website:

The List of 2021 Oscar Nominations

 or  

Variety’s Website:

Oscars 2021: The Complete Nominations List