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Source: The Hollywood Reporter
Sometimes it can feel like, with all that’s going on within, the world is on fire; at the current moment, it actually is, or at least a small but heavily populated part of it. For over a week, the wildfires that have devastated parts of Los Angeles, the largest city in the state of California (and one of the nation’s largest overall), has resulted in a small number of casualties and an even larger number of permanently damaged residences and businesses, all of which have forced those who previously called them home to find new shelter. In general, these fires have brought nothing but harm to the people who’ve established themselves in Los Angeles; the entertainment industry, however, seems to be in a particularly worrisome position right now. With so much of the industry – especially film and television production – rooted in the so-called City of Angels, the ongoing wildfires have made either incredibly difficult or inappropriately untimely to conduct business as usual. While there are still productions currently taking place at this point in time, it’s becoming increasingly tricky to do so as the wildfires remain largely uncontained and a threat to the city and its millions of people. Many have naturally acted accordingly, choosing to push back certain events that were intended to occur in the near future to a later date that will (hopefully) be well after this fiery disaster has finally come to an end. This unfortunately includes what is possibly the single most anticipated event for anyone working in film; while the event itself has not yet been delayed, the minor events that are intended to lead up to it have, and unless things start to change for the better, it’s possible that the main show itself will also have to be pushed back. The event in question, of course, is the upcoming Academy Awards.
Announcements of these delays come in the wake of five individuals associated with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) – four governors and a former CEO to be specific – losing their homes to the flames that continue to devastate the Southern California area. It’s this region that serves as the home to more than half of the Academy’s ten thousand members, so it’s hardly surprising that, in order to remain sensitive to those that’ve been affected by the wildfires, the AMPAS has chosen to delay many of its pre-Oscar events. Though the actual Academy Awards have not yet been delayed – as of this writing, the show is still set to take place on Sunday, March 2nd, several of the essential procedures and announcements needed in order for the show to happen have been extended and revised in some way. Specifically:
- The voting window for Oscar nominations has been lengthened; instead of closing at 5 pm PST on Tuesday, January 14th, the closing date will now be Friday, January 17th (also at 5pm PST)
- The announcements for the Academy Award nominations, originally set for Friday, January 17th at 5:30 am PST, will now take place just under a week later on Thursday, January 24th (the time remains the same however). Also worth noting, the nominee announcements will still be televised, but no in-person audience will be present.
- The Oscar Nominees Luncheon, an annual tradition in which those nominated for Academy Awards gather together for the first time since their nominations, has been outright cancelled. The event was intended to take place on Monday, February 10th, but although there will still be many smaller dinners held in the days leading up to the main ceremony, no central gathering will be held this year.
- The Scientific and Technical Awards have been postponed from their original date of Tuesday, February 18th. At this moment, no new date for the event has been scheduled.
Each one of these decisions was agreed upon by the majority of the AMPAS’ board of governors, one made up of fifty-five individuals with some history and experience working in the film industry. As previously mentioned, four of these governors – Lynette Howell Taylor of the producers branch (also an Academy vice president), Brooke Breton of the visual effects branch, Mark P. Stoeckinger of the sound branch, and Jinko Gotoh of the animation branch – had each lost their homes to the ongoing LA wildfires, with former Academy CEO Dawn Hudson (who served from 2011 to 2022) also sharing this unfortunate fate. Interestingly, in spite of what has happened, many of these people continue to persist with their work and remain dedicated on keeping the spirit that has kept Hollywood up and running for decades alive; Breton has most notably overseen her branch’s annual “bakeoff”, which was held virtually on Saturday, January 11th for those in contention for the Best Visual Effects award to make their cases for a potential nomination (if not an outright win).
While a decision regarding whether or not to delay the Oscars themselves remains up in the air, the Academy will continue to ponder the best course of action, with some of its members being adamant about the show being held as planned and others insisting that the resources that would normally go to holding the ceremony be redirected to efforts against the wildfire (it’s this latter position that actress Jean Smart has spoken out in favor of). The Academy has already donated roughly $750,000 to fire relief efforts, and there’s certainly an incentive to contribute more to the cause, but on the other hand, postponing or even cancelling the Oscars could be disadvantageous to everyone who relies on the ceremony to make a living (the show by itself is said to require the employment of over a thousand people). Whatever happens though, it’s almost unanimously agreed that the show itself will more or less be an unofficial telethon intended to revive the film industry and the city it calls home, with Academy CEO Bill Kramer and president Janet Yang expressing much hope in a statement released on Monday, January 13th. “Our members always share how important it is for us to come together as a community, and we are determined to use this opportunity to celebrate our resilient and compassionate industry,” the statement reads. “We also look forward to honoring our frontline workers who have aided with the fires, recognizing those impacted, and encouraging people to join the Academy in supporting the relief efforts…we will get through this together and bring a sense of healing to our global film community”.
