The announcement of the Oscar nominations was delayed for a second time as wildfires continue to ravage Los Angeles, and the nominations voting period was extended to Friday.
The nominations announcement is now scheduled for January 23 at 5:30 a.m. PT. It will be a virtual event without in-person media coverage, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced Monday.
The Academy said it still plans to hold the Oscars ceremony on March 2 at the Dolby Theater in Hollywood.
The wildfires, fueled by exceptionally dry conditions and strong Santa Ana winds, have killed at least 24 people and scorched 40,000 acres in the Greater Los Angeles area. This weekend, evacuation orders were expanded for the largest fire, the Palisades Fire. It was 14% contained Monday morning and threatens Brentwood, Encino and Westwood.
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“We are all devastated by the impact of the fires and the profound losses experienced by so many people in our community,” Academy CEO Bill Kramer and Academy President Janet Yang said in a statement. “The Academy has always been a unifying force within the film.” industry, and we are committed to staying together in the face of difficulties.
As part of the scheduling changes, the Academy also said the annual Oscar nominees luncheon, which was scheduled for Feb. 10, will not take place this year.
The Scientific and Technical Awards, initially scheduled for February 18, “will be rescheduled for a later date yet to be determined.”
“Our members always share how important it is for us to come together as a community and we are determined to take this opportunity to celebrate our resilient and compassionate industry,” Kramer and Yang said. “We also hope to honor our frontline workers who have helped with the fires, recognize those affected, and encourage people to join the Academy in supporting relief efforts. We will get through this together and bring a sense of healing to our film global.
As fires continue to displace people and disrupt daily life in Los Angeles, many industry events, including those related to award shows, continue to be canceled.
Some companies delayed the release of high-profile projects, such as Meghan Markle’s new Netflix series, “Love, Meghan,” which was moved to its March premiere date. Production on some projects was also temporarily halted.
