The coronavirus epidemic shut down movie theaters worldwide in mid-March and brought production of films to a halt.
The 2021 Oscars ceremony was moved to April from February on Monday due to the havoc caused in the movie industry by the coronavirus pandemic.
The ceremony for film’s highest honors will take place on April 25,2021, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences said in a statement. It had originally been scheduled for Feb. 28.
The coronavirus epidemic shut down movie theaters worldwide in mid-March and brought production of films to a halt.
The Academy also extended the deadline by which movies must be released in order to be eligible for an Oscar nomination to Feb. 28,2021, from Dec. 31,2020.
“Our hope, in extending the eligibility period and our Awards date, is to provide the flexibility filmmakers need to finish and release their films without being penalized for something beyond anyone’s control,” Academy President David Rubin and Academy Chief Executive Dawn Hudson said in a statement.
