How The 2021 Oscars Will Look, If It Doesn’t Get Postponed

By: Amanda Guarragi 

Every year there are films lined up for Oscar season and some films that are sprinkled across the year, hoping to be standouts in order to be in the running. In 2020, the world has faced a global pandemic which has changed the way we live. It has also changed the way most industries operate. The Entertainment Industry has definitely felt this shift, due to the fact that movie theatres are now closed and it is unclear as to when they will reopen. Everything is up in the air and only a handful of films will be released this year, so the big question is… how are the Oscars going to work?

In a recent Variety article, Marc Malkin says that the Oscars may be postponed. The sources, who chose to remain anonymous, stated that “Definitive plans are far from being concrete at this juncture. The telecast is currently set for Feb. 28, 2021, on ABC.” The sources, who have been close to the subject, said that it will most likely be postponed. There could be potential new dates but they haven’t been fully discussed yet or properly mapped out. There were new (temporary) rule changes for Oscar eligibility released in April because of COVID -19.

“The board of governors approved a temporary hold on the requirement that a film needs a seven-day theatrical run in a commercial theater in Los Angeles County to qualify for the Oscars.” says Marc Malkin from Variety. As long as the film had a planned theatrical release, it is still eligible for an Oscar nomination. It doesn’t mean that any film premiering on a streaming service is eligible. With this shift in the moviegoing experience, it seems fitting to change the guidelines temporarily, so films that had a planned theatrical release and are currently going straight to VOD, can have the same chance in getting nominated.

If the Academy already changed the guidelines, because they sympathized with the filmmakers, who worked so hard in getting their film out there and making the conscious choice to STILL release it on VOD, why are they planning on postponing it? What was the point in changing the guidelines, if you’re about to change the game entirely? How does postponing the Oscars benefit any of the films/filmmakers?

These are the questions that I’m curious to know the answers to. There are films that have been (and will be) released this year that are eligible and “worthy” enough of an Oscar run, so why not give them an even chance? If they choose to postpone the Oscars, won’t there be double the films to choose from, in order to hand out that golden statue? Are the categories going to include 10 nominees, instead of 5, because there are more films to cover? It doesn’t seem like the best move.

These are the films that could possibly be nominated for Oscars for the 2021 season:

• Emma 
  Best Actress: Anya Taylor Joy
  Best Cinematography: Christopher Blauvelt
  Best Director: Autumn de Wilde
  Best Adapted Screenplay: Eleanor Catton
  Best Original Score: Isobel Waller-Bridge & David Schweitzer

  ---

• The Way Back 
  Best Actor: Ben Affleck
  Best Director: Gavin O’Connor
  Best Original Screenplay: Brad Ingelsby

  ---

• The Invisible Man 
  Best Picture: Jason Blum & Kylie du Fresne
  Best Actress: Elisabeth Moss
  Best Director: Leigh Whannell
  Best Original Screenplay: Leigh Whannell
  Best Original Score: Benjamin Wallfisch
  Best Editing: Andy Canny

  ---

  Best Visual Effects:
  The Invisible Man 
  Wonder Woman 1984
  Tenet
  Dune
  Sonic the Hedgehog
  

  ---

• Never Rarely Sometimes Always 
  Best Actress: Sidney Flanigan
  Best Original Screenplay: Eliza Hittman
  Best Cinematography: Hélène Louvart
  Best Director: Eliza Hittman

  ---

  Best Animated Feature: 
  Sonic The Hedgehog
  Onward
  Scoob!
  Trolls World Tour
  Soul
  

  ---

  
  

• Tenet 
  Best Picture: Christopher Nolan & Emma Thomas
  Best Director: Christopher Nolan
  Best Actor: John David Washington
  Best Supporting Actor: Robert Pattinson
  Best Original Screenplay: Christopher Nolan
  Best Original Score: Ludwig Göransson
  Best Editing: Jennifer Lame

  ---

• The French Dispatch 
  Best Picture: Wes Anderson, Steven Rales & Jeremy Dawson
  Best Director: Wes Anderson
  Best Original Screenplay: Wes Anderson
  Best Original Score: Alexandre Desplat
  Best Cinematography: Robert Yeoman

  ---

• Capone 
  Best Director: Josh Trank
  Best Original Screenplay: Josh Trank
  Best Actor: Tom Hardy
  Best Supporting Actress: Linda Cardellini
  Best Cinematography: Peter Deming

  ---

• Da 5 Bloods (Netflix)
  Best Picture: Jon Kilik, Spike Lee, Beatriz Levin & Lloyd Levin
  Best Director: Spike Lee
  Best Cinematography: Newton Thomas Sigel
  Best Original Score: Terence Blanchard
  Best Editing: Adam Gough
  Best Adapted Screenplay: Danny Bilson, Paul De Meo, Spike Lee and Kevin Willmott

  ---

• Mank (Netflix) 
  Best Picture: David Fincher, Ceán Chaffin, Eric Roth and Douglas Urbanski
  Best Director: David Fincher
  Best Adapted Screenplay: Jack Fincher
  Best Actor: Gary Oldman
  Best Supporting Actress: Amanda Seyfried
  Best Original Score: Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross
  Best Cinematography Erik Messerschmidt
  Best Editing: Kirk Baxter

  ---

• Dune
  Best Picture: Mary Parent, Cale Boyter, Joe Caracciolo Jr. and Denis Villeneuve
  Best Director: Denis Villeneuve
  Best Adapted Screenplay: Jon Spaihts, Eric Roth & Denis Villeneuve
  Best Actor: Timothée Chalamet
  Best Supporting Actress: Rebecca Ferguson
  Best Supporting Actor: Oscar Isaac
  Best Original Score: Hans Zimmer
  Best Cinematography: Greig Fraser
  Best Editing: Joe Walker

  ---

This list that I have compiled is solely based on what I believe to be possible Oscar contenders. Majority of these films are highly anticipated and have been adamant in not moving their release date, due to COVID 19. This is all hypothetical and if the restrictions are still in place from September onwards, they need to make the decision to send it straight to VOD or postpone their film entirely. I personally think it’s not the right decision to postpone the Oscars because all of the films listed above should be given the fair chance to be nominated, based on the slate of their year. If the Academy combines the 2020 & 2021 slates, it will be too much for anyone to handle.

“It is still unclear if postponing the Oscars will also mean that the Academy will allow films released after the year-end deadline to qualify for the 2021 Oscars.” says Marc Malkin for Variety. It is a very difficult decision to make, but it is also very premature to even consider postponing, if we are only half way through the year. At the end of the day, you don’t make pictures for Oscars, as the wise director Martin Scorsese has said, but it’s sure great to get recognized for your work.