It has long been clear that the 93rd Academy Awards on April 25 is going to look unlike any other. Now we have some specifics.
Hours after revealing, ahead of Monday morning’s Oscar nominations announcement, that the ceremony will be spread between the Dolby Theatre and Union Station in downtown Los Angeles, Academy president David Rubin emailed the Academy’s nearly 10,000 members to share some news that most of them will find disappointing.
“This year, those attending the awards in person will be nominees, their guest, and presenters,” Rubin wrote. In other words, only the nominees, their guest and presenters. “[W]e will not be able to conduct our annual member ticket lottery.”
Additionally, out of an abundance of caution due to the ongoing pandemic, Rubin announced that the Academy is canceling all other in-person events that usually take place around the Oscars, including decades-old traditions like the Oscar Nominees Luncheon that normally precedes the show by a few weeks and the Governors Ball that long has followed it.
Also canceled: nominations screenings; the International Feature Film nominee cocktail reception; public programming for the Short Film, Documentary, Animated Feature, International Feature Film, and Makeup and Hairstyling categories; and Oscar Night watch parties in London and New York.
The full text of Rubin’s letter appears below.
Dear Fellow Academy Members,
I join you in congratulating all our Oscar nominees. We are now less than two months away from an Oscars show at the iconic Los Angeles landmarks Union Station and Dolby Theatre. A show that will undoubtedly be unique and memorable!
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.
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.
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.
In a year marked by so much uncertainty, one thing is without question: We have enlisted the ideal trio of producers–Jesse Collins, Stacey Sher and Steven Soderbergh–to put together an Oscars show like none other, to honor the extraordinary movies, memorable performances and achievements in filmmaking of the past year.
We appreciate your support and understanding, as we all look forward to an exciting show on April 25th.
Warm regards,
David Rubin
Academy President
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