Related Posts
Throughout most of the history of the Academy Awards, films that could qualify for a potential nomination have had to meet specific requirements. Among the most significant is the rule regarding theatrical release; according to Academy rules, a film could only be considered for an award if it had been given at the very least a week-long theatrical run in either New York or Los Angeles. In recent years, this rule has become increasingly questioned since, with the rise of streaming platforms, films that many would consider awards-worthy have been denied such an opportunity due to this rule. While major companies like Netflix have successfully earned awards buzz with such films as “Roma” and “The Irishman” (albeit by barely meeting the theatrical release requirement), the same cannot be said for countless other films that don’t have this advantage.
This could all start to change, however, as a result of a recent announcement from the Academy. On Tuesday, April 28th, the board of governors agreed to temporarily lift its rule requiring theatrical releases for submitted films. According to the new revision, films released digitally can now qualify for next year’s Academy Awards. This announcement comes as the COVID-19 continues to take its toll on the world, which has resulted in many major films being pushed back extensively or forgoing theatrical release and instead being sent straight to streaming.
That being said, there are still specific guidelines that films have to follow in order to qualify for consideration. First of all, films that premiere on digital platforms must have been originally intended to be released in theaters. This condition immediately disqualifies films that are first and foremost intended to premiere through a streaming service like Netflix. Second, within sixty days of its release, the film must be made available on a streaming site that can only be accessed by members of the Academy Screening Room, the people that contribute to which films end up being nominated for Oscars and in which categories.
So which films qualify for awards consideration under these new guidelines? Of course, any film that has been released in theaters already or is still planned to be released in theaters at any point throughout the rest of the year is still eligible to compete. What about the films that have been or are planned to be released through digital means instead of through theaters as originally intended? Among that small selection are Disney’s “Artemis Fowl”, a cinematic adaptation of the Eoin Colfer sci-fi novel, and a handful of animated features, including DreamWorks’ “Trolls: World Tour” and Warner Brothers’ “Scoob!”.
As previously stated, these new rules are only meant as a temporary revision. When the COVID-19 epidemic does eventually come to an end, films will be able to be released in theaters on a regular basis as they had in the past. While it could be longer depending on how long the pandemic continues, theaters are expected at the moment to reopen no sooner than late July. Because of this, there is currently no reason to keep these rules for any longer than the rest of the year. In fact, the Academy has stated that once theaters are completely reopened, the seven-day theatrical release requirement will be reinstated. However, it has also expanded the areas in which a film vying for an Oscar can play. Instead of just Los Angeles and New York, films can now also be shown in theaters in the Bay Area (San Francisco and its neighboring areas), Chicago, Atlanta, and Miami.
Then again, even short-term changes can have long-term effects. What’s there to say that these temporary changes can’t have a permanent effect on how studios market and release their films? Given how the company has become a greater presence during awards season in recent years, it’s possible that Netflix and other streaming platforms will take full advantage of these new rules.
Take, for instance, the rule stating that films premiering digitally must’ve originally been intended for theatrical release. What exactly does this require? How must studios prove that they have films that they intended to put into theaters before being “forced” to settle for digital release? Considering Netflix has given certain films very limited theatrical releases in the past (allowing them to just barely meet the requirements of awards qualification), there’s a decent chance that they will claim that many of their films were going to have some kind of theatrical release before the pandemic. If the Academy does not make it clear as to how a studio can prove a film was originally planned for theatrical release, it’s possible that once the nominations for the next Academy Awards are announced, a significant portion of the films nominated could be streaming-released films that their makers claim were intended to go to theaters, regardless of whether or not they actually were.
Should this be the case, and streaming films end up dominating the awards season, then it’s possible that there will be a growing backlash against the usual theatrical release rule. After all, in this situation, these films would never have even been considered for awards. Why should similar films made in the future face greater obstacles when it comes to receiving potential nominations? Depending on how the events of the upcoming end-of-the-year awards season play out, one shouldn’t rule out making these temporary changes a permanent fixture of Academy requirements.
This is all just speculation, however, and in reality, these new changes are a blessing for many studios and filmmakers. With current events making it difficult to release films through theaters, many studios have to release their films digitally in order to make as much of a profit possible given the circumstances.
Doing so would usually mean giving up the awards consideration that have proven so beneficial to smaller films, so there’s much relief to be had in the Academy changing its rules to let films premiering on digital platforms stand a chance.
While this change to theatrical release requirement was the biggest announcement made by the Academy, it has also made several smaller changes regarding certain categories and how potential nominees can qualify, changes that are still worth discussing even if they aren’t intended to have as much of an impact.
One notable change is the elimination of one of the Oscars’ technical categories, or more accurately, the fusion of two already existing categories. Instead of there being awards for Best Sound Editing and Best Sound Mixing, there will be a single award for Best Sound. This change was decided on by the Academy’s sound branch, and it reduces the number of awards overall to twenty-five. Historically, Oscars for sound have regularly been limited to one competitive award (and the occasional Special Achievement award); only since the 1980’s has there usually been more than one competitive award. Given how sound editing and sound mixing tend to get mixed up with each other (which can make it difficult for Academy voters to make well-educated decisions), it’s understandable that the sound branch would want to reduce this confusion and have there be only one sound award.
Going from sound to music, the Academy also created new rules for its Best Original Score category, which now state that a submitted score must consist of at least 60% original music; if the score comes from a sequel or a franchise film, that number goes up to 80%. Given how prominently franchise films have been nominated in this category in the past (the most recent being “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker”), it makes sense for the Academy to expect newer music that doesn’t just retread a pre-existing score. After all, why should a score that won in the past be given a second opportunity to win in the future?
Another change regards the Best International Feature Film category, which had previously been referred to as Best Foreign Language Film. According to new Academy guidelines, all members of the Academy are allowed to take part in the preliminary round of voting, under the condition that they meet the minimum viewing requirement. How this will affect the category is uncertain at the moment, but depending on how many voters have seen specific international films and how many international films are submitted, this could have a significant influence on which films are ultimately nominated.
These are some of the biggest announcements made by the Academy, and while they may not hint at any significant change for the upcoming Academy Awards, these differences could make for an interesting change of pace, and we look forward to seeing how everything turns out.
