As the pandemic winds down and theaters reopen with many movies postponed from last year, including such high-profile pictures as rival New York musicals from Jon M. Chu (“In the Heights”) and Steven Spielberg (“West Side Story”), the Academy is staying flexible about eligibility requirements.
There will be two methods of qualification for awards consideration in Best Picture and general entry categories. First, films intended for theatrical release that are initially made available through commercial streaming, VOD, or broadcast may qualify under these provisions: the film is available on the secure Academy Screening Room member site within 60 days of the film’s streaming/VOD release or broadcast, and it meets all other eligibility requirements. Second, films that open in theaters in at least one of the six qualifying U.S. cities — the wider metropolitan areas of Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Chicago, Miami, and Atlanta — may qualify under these provisions: the film completes a qualifying run of at least seven consecutive days in the same commercial venue, with at least three screenings daily and one every day between 6 p.m. and 10 p.m., and it meets all other eligibility requirements. Niko Tavernise Drive-in theaters qualify as a commercial venue in the six cities; the movie must run for seven consecutive days with at least one screening daily. (The Academy Screening Room would be optional.) Academy members are currently pressing the Academy to restart its popular weekly screenings for voters. It’s hard to believe the Academy won’t screen potential contenders at its Wilshire headquarters in its state-of-the-art Goldwyn Theatre. Even with this year’s delayed Oscars, the eligibility period for Academy Awards consideration is returning to the usual December 31 deadline: the shorter than usual eligibility window means a feature film must have a qualifying release date between March 1, 2021 and December 31, 2021. The Academy will release the complete 94th Awards rules and specialty category submission deadlines in June.
Following this year, the Academy intends to expand the qualifying requirements for the 95th Awards. The Academy’s key dates for the 2022 Oscar season are below (subject to change): General entry categories submission deadline Monday, November 15, 2021 Preliminary voting begins 9 a.m. PT Friday, December 10, 2021 Preliminary voting ends 5 p.m. PT Wednesday, December 15, 2021 Oscar Shortlists Announcement Tuesday, December 21, 2021 Eligibility period ends Friday, December 31, 2021 Governors Awards Saturday, January 15, 2022 Nominations voting begins 9 a.m. PT Thursday, January 27, 2022 Nominations voting ends 5 p.m. PT Tuesday, February 1, 2022 Oscar Nominations Announcement Tuesday, February 8, 2022 Oscar Nominees Luncheon Monday, March 7, 2022 Finals voting begins 9 a.m. PT Thursday, March 17, 2022 Finals voting ends 5 p.m. PT Tuesday, March 22, 2022 94th Oscars Sunday, March 27, 2022 The Academy’s new member invites, which are slimmed down from recent years, will be announced in June, as members line up, as usual, to be candidates for the upcoming Board of Governors elections (June 7 through June 11) for one seat out of each of the Academy’s seventeen branches, although the Academy’s Aperture 2025 inclusion initiative dictates new term limits to prohibit some incumbent governors and executive committee leaders from returning. Sign Up: Stay on top of the latest breaking film and TV news! Sign up for our Email Newsletters here.
