Side-effects of Corona—new ‘Streaming’ movies eligible for Oscars- 2021 consideration

Chaitanya  Padukone 

While our distressed Bollywood movie industry is yet to take a collective final call on whether some of the Feature Films whose releases have been indefinitely postponed, would find its rescue-saviour in the OTT Digital streaming zone, out there in the U.S.,  the Oscar Awards seem to have taken a landmark decision.   New movies released Only on digital streaming platforms or on video-on-demand while movie theatres have shut down due to the deadly scare of the corona virus pandemic would be eligible for consideration and competing in the Academy Awards-2021. This temporary change, which will apply Only for next year's Oscars,  will lapse when movie theatres and multiplexes reopen and normalcy is restored .

This was announced in a formal statement issued by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Previously, a movie had to be screened in a movie theater in Los Angeles for at least seven days in order to be eligible for Oscar consideration. "The Academy firmly believes there is no greater way to experience the magic of movies than to see them in a theatre. Our commitment to that is unchanged and unwavering. Nonetheless, the historically tragic COVID-19 pandemic necessitates this temporary exception to our awards eligibility rules," President David Rubin and Chief Executive Dawn Hudson said, referring to the dreaded disease caused by the virus. Movie theatres across U.S. downed their shutters in mid-March, compelling postponement of major film releases.

The three main movie theatre chains have said they do not expect to reopen until June or maybe even July. Some films, including Universal Pictures animated "Trolls World Tour," have been released directly to streaming platforms or video on demand. Universal will follow with the upcoming Judd Apatow comedy "The King of Staten Island," while Walt Disney has informed that  it will release children's fantasy film "Artemis Fowl" on its Disney+ streaming platform rather than wait endlessly for theatres to reopen.  The 24-karat gold-plated Oscar-statuettes presentation , the highest revered awards-honours  in global cinema are  scheduled to take place in Hollywood (Los Angeles—California) on Feb. 28, 2021