By Cam Christoff, Contributing Writer
The COVID-19 pandemic has changed many events over the past year while the world has been on lockdown, such as a limited number of guests at the Super Bowl and award shows having all of the audience tune in via Zoom. However, this year, the 2021 Oscars will have a live audience with extreme safety measures that will be taken so that everyone in attendance stays healthy and protected.
According to Town & Country Magazine, on March 18, producers for this year’s ceremony sent a letter to nominees stating that all who wish to attend must attend in person, and no virtual options will be provided. The Oscars will be held on Sunday, April 25. In order to ensure the safety of those attending this event, there will be rapid-testing COVID tests that will be required for each guest, as well as an on-site COVID safety team.
The Oscars will be filmed in multiple locations to ensure that all COVID guidelines are being met. The locations where it will be televised are the Dolby Theatre and Union Station in Los Angeles, California. All attendees will be required to wear formal attire in order to attain the same standards that the Oscars were previously held to.
Due to the shutdown, when the COVID-19 pandemic forced movie theaters across the world to close, the Oscars changed their guidelines on what is required for film nominees. One of these requirements in the past included films having to be shown in theaters in order to be nominated. This year, films are not required to have been shown in theaters prior to their nomination.
This year, there are twenty film nomination categories in which films are being nominated. Some of these categories include animated feature film, cinematography, costume design, directing, documentary, and best picture. Here are some of the big films that are being nominated for an Oscar:
- “Onward,” featuring Chris Pratt and Tom Holland, is an animated Pixar film that follows two elf brothers on their adventure to spend one more day with their deceased dad. Their bond grows stronger on their quest through magic and chaos. “Onward” is nominated for animated feature film.
- “Soul” is another animated Pixar film, that follows a New York jazz pianist finding himself being stuck between Earth and the afterlife. “Soul” is being nominated for animated feature film, original score, and sound.
- “Judas and the Black Messiah,” a 2021 film, received several nominations, including best picture and best cinematography. It shows a young, charismatic activist becoming the chairman of the Illinois chapter of the Black Panther Party, putting him in direct danger with the government, FBI, and Chicago police.
- The film “Nomadland” is nominated for six Oscars, including best picture. It is an American drama that shows a woman leaving her hometown in Empire, Nevada after the loss of her husband. It shows her on her journey of traveling around the United States.
- “Tenet” is an action-thriller film that audiences across the world raved about and is nominated for visual effects and production design. The film follows a secret agent and his fight to prevent the onset of World War III.
- The nominations for “Sound of Metal” included best picture and sound. It follows the story of a heavy-metal drummer’s life and the challenges he faces when he begins to lose his hearing.
Although the world may seem different this year with the pandemic still preeminent, the Oscars have a big line-up of nominations for outstanding films that were shown over the course of 2020 and early 2021. Be sure to watch the Oscars on Sunday, April 25 at 8:00p.m. EST on ABC to see which feature films will bring home the gold.
