The Academy has said the Oscars 2021 ceremony in April will not be a virtual affair via zoom, and all nominees and their guests have been told to be at the venue in person.
The producers of the 93rd Academy Awards ceremony — Steven Soderbergh, Stacey Sher and Jesse Collins –emailed a letter to those who got Oscar nominations.
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Awards show will be held both at the Union Station in downtown Los Angeles and the traditional home at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood.
According to the producers, everyone will be tested and there will be a COVID-19 safety team on site throughout the evening on April 25.
“There will not be an option to Zoom in for the show,” producers said in the message to more than 200 nominees.
“We are going to great lengths to provide a safe and ENJOYABLE evening for all of you in person, as well as for all the millions of film fans around the world, and we feel the virtual thing will diminish those efforts,” the producers added.
They said nominees and their guests would gather at a courtyard in the Union rail station, while other show elements would be held live inside the Dolby Theatre some 12.9 kilometers away.
Normally, hundreds of the world’s top movie stars would gather in the 3,400-seat theatre for a live show preceded by a red carpet packed with photographers and camera crews.
Other awards shows like Golden Globes and Grammys this year have replaced the usual gatherings at gala dinners and on stage with pre-recorded appearances or virtual events or a combination.
