Yahoo Movies Oscar nominations delayed again due to LA wildfires
This year's Oscars nominations have been postponed again due to wildfires across Los Angeles.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences shared that the nomination announcement has now been moved to Thursday, January 23, and the Oscars voting period has been extended again to January 17.
Multiple screenings and bake-offs as well as the Academy Museum have also been affected, after fires burned through more than 27,000 acres across LA, with five dead.
More than 150,000 people are under evacuation orders after the first fire began in the Palisades at 10.30am on Tuesday, January 7.
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In a new statement, according to Deadline, Academy CEO Bill Kramer and Academy president Janet Yang said: "We are all devastated by the impact of the fires and the profound losses experienced by so many in our community. The Academy has always been a unifying force within the film industry, and we are committed to standing together in the face of hardship.
"Due to the still-active fires in the Los Angeles area, we feel it is necessary to extend our voting period and move the date of our nominations announcement to allow additional time for our members.
"Additionally, as we want to be sensitive to the infrastructure and lodging needs of the region in these next few weeks, it is imperative that we make some changes to our schedule of events, which we believe will have the support of our industry.
"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. 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."
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In a previous letter to members, obtained by Deadline, Kramer wrote: "Dear Academy members, we want to offer our deepest condolences to those who have been impacted by the devastating fires across Southern California.
"So many of our members and industry colleagues live and work in the Los Angeles area, and we are thinking of you. Given the fire situation, we want to share some updates regarding an extension to the Oscars nominations voting window as well as updated information on Oscars Shortlist Screenings, Oscars Bake-Offs, and the Academy Museum.
"Nominations voting for the 97th Oscars opened this morning at 9am PT. We will be extending the voting window by two days to give members more time to cast their ballots. Voting will now close on Tuesday, January 14 at 5pm PT."
Kramer said more information would follow soon.
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He continued: "The International Feature Film Shortlist Screening scheduled to take place this evening in Los Angeles will be rescheduled to later this week. Shortlist screenings will continue as scheduled in New York and London. Please note that all 15 shortlisted films in the International Feature Film category are available on the Academy Screening Room (ASR).
"The in-person Los Angeles Sound Branch Bake-Off scheduled for Saturday, January 11 has been canceled. The Bay Area, London, and New York Sound Bake-Off schedules remain unchanged. Please note that the Sound Bake-Off will be available to all members on the ASR."
Kramer said multiple events have been cancelled, including the Los Angeles and New York Makeup Artists and Hairstylists Branch and Los Angeles and Bay Area Visual Effects Branch bake-offs, but invited members of the branch to take part in a virtual discussion on Saturday, January 11.
The letter continued: "Finally, the Academy Museum is closed today, Wednesday, January 8. All screenings will be rescheduled. Please go to www.academymuseum.org for more information. If you have any questions, please let me know or please feel free to contact Academy Support."
He concluded the message by thanking members for their "understanding during this complex time" and added that the Academy "hopes everyone is safe."
The 97th Academy Awards are still set to take place on March 3 at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. It will be broadcast live on ITV1 and ITVX, with exact scheduling times yet to be announced.
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