Today, the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) the date for the 94th Oscars ceremony, which will take place on March 27, 2022, a full month later than the usual late February airdate.
Part of it is to give a little more time from the Winter Olympics and Super Bowl in February, but some of the eligibility and qualifying requirements that were created to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic will be retained.
Eligibility for movies will still be for feature films released between March 1 and December 31, 2021, although the Academy’s Board of Governors met on Wednesday evening to adopt some of the concessions and addendums that were made for the 2021 Oscars eligibility. Nominations will be announced on February 8, 2022, which is roughly a week later than a normal year.
Essentially, there are two methods for a feature to qualify for best picture and other general entry categories:
- Films which are intended for theatrical release, but are initially made available through commercial streaming, VOD service, or other broadcast may qualify under these provisions:
- That the film be made available on the secure Academy Screening Room member site within 60 days of the film’s streaming/VOD release or broadcast
- That it meets all other eligibility requirements
- Films that open in theaters in at least one of the six qualifying U.S. cities, depending on theater availability, may qualify under these provisions:
- That the film completes a qualifying run of at least seven consecutive days in the same commercial venue, during which period screenings must occur at least three times daily, with at least one screening beginning between 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. daily
- That it meets all other eligibility requirements
- Six qualifying U.S. cities include: Los Angeles County; City of New York [Five Boroughs]; the Bay Area [counties of San Francisco, Marin, Alameda, San Mateo and Contra Costa]; Chicago [Cook County, Illinois]; Miami [Miami-Dade County, Florida]; and Atlanta [Fulton
County, Georgia]. - Drive-in theaters are included as a qualifying commercial venue in the above cities (must run for seven consecutive days with at least one screening daily)
- Academy Screening Room would be optional
The complete rules and specialty category submission deadlines will be announced in June, but you can read the full timeline for next year’s Oscars below:
