Key Dates Leading Up to 97th Oscars Postponed Due to California Wildfires
In the wake of the devastating wildfires in the Los Angeles area, some updates have been made to some key dates in the run up to the 97th Oscars.
What’s Happening:
- ABC 7 Eyewitness News reports that the schedule of events leading up to the 97th Oscars has been updated due to the devastating wildfires in the Los Angeles area.
- The Oscars nominations voting period has been extended through Friday, January 17th at 5 p.m. PT.
- The Oscars Nominations Announcement has been rescheduled for Thursday, January 23rd at 5:30 a.m. PT. The live announcement will be a virtual event without in-person media coverage.
- These dates had already been pushed back once from their originally announced dates, due to the wildfires.
- The Oscars Nominees Luncheon, scheduled for Monday, February 10th will not be held this year.
- The Scientific and Technical Awards, scheduled for Tuesday, February 18th, will be rescheduled to a later date yet to be determined.
- Currently, the 97th Oscars are still scheduled to be held on Sunday, March 2nd, 2025, at the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood and will be televised live at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT on ABC, streamed live on Hulu and air live in more than 200 territories worldwide.
- Conan O’Brien will be hosting this year’s ceremony – marking his first time.
What They’re Saying:
- Academy CEO Bill Kramer and Academy President Janet Yang released a joint statement: "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."