Netflix Movies Are Now Eligible For Oscars:
It is true what they say – You adapt to survive. If you do not have what it takes to model yourself according to the changing tides of time, you will not live to see the next day. The Movie Making Industry had long been a stalwart of an old school draconian mind-set. They considered the Oscars to be a monopoly. They never let any new players in, and the moviemakers had absolute control over new entrants. But with the COVID-19 Pendamic, desperate times indeed called for desperate measures. Many of the movies of 2020 never got a theatrical release. As a result, norms had to be changed for Oscars 2021 and beyond. And the biggest beneficiaries of this change are the streaming platforms, especially Netflix.
Around the world, movie theatres are closing. Many movie chains have already gone bankrupt. As the traditional and conventional ways of entertainment come to a screeching halt, the people all over the globe with credible access to the internet have found other ways to enjoy art and cinema. Many movies that were supposed to be released into theatres ended up being released in streaming platforms as the world encountered a global lockdown of an epic order. The Oscars 2021 ceremony would have only been left with a few good movies to have their choices from. Luckily, the rules have been changed for the benefit of all.
The Oscars have been facing one controversy after another over the recent years. They are blamed for creating massive barriers to entry and having unreasonable criteria for a movie to be eligible for the Oscars. The movie had to have a theatrical run for the Oscars committee to even consider it to be a part of the race. Manchester By the Sea and The Irishman were forcibly made to run on theatres because the rule wanted the movie to be played in the theatres for it to win an Oscar. So as you can see, it is not just racial and gender discrimination that dogs the Oscars like an apparition. They are also facing issues related to gate-keeping.
But in today’s times with too little theatrical runs in the theatres due to the global lockdown, the Academy was forced to change and mend its ways. Its long-standing traditions now remain tattered after battling the winds of change. The Academy has released an official statement that states that for 2021, the Oscars committee will consider movies that did not have a theatrical run and were only VOD based or were exclusively streamed online. The official statement from the Oscars Academy reads, and we quote:
Until further notice, and for the 93rd Awards year only, films that had a previously planned theatrical release but are initially made available on a commercial streaming or VOD service may qualify in the Best Picture, general entry and specialty categories for the 93rd Academy Awards under these provisions:
There are the requirements for a movie to become an Oscar nominee for 2021.
1. The film must be made available on the secure Academy Screening Room member-only streaming site within 60 days of the film’s streaming or VOD release;
2. The film must meet all other eligibility requirements.
There might a twist though. The academy stated that they will revoke this rule for the subsequent years’ post-2021 or after the theatres start running again when the Coronavirus crisis comes to an end. There seems to be some sort of foul play within the Oscars Committee that is ready to do whatever it takes to protect their seats on the High Table. It is for the first time that a Netflix movie that will never have a theatrical run will be considered for Oscars. The Streaming Giant has been releasing one magnificent Netflix Original after another, and at least for the next year, everyone will see just what they were missing.
Now that is some excellent news to begin our days with, isn’t it ladies and gentlemen??
Netflix and Coronavirus– 1. Old Men at the Oscars – 0
