Now that the 2021 Oscars have officially been delayed from February 28 to April 25, 2021, many other award shows and festivals that play a crucial role on the Oscar season circuit are also changing their dates. IndieWire will be keeping track of the changing 2020-2021 awards season with this running list of new dates for important events on the circuit.
SAG Awards executive producer Kathy Connell confirms the 27th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards will now take place on Sunday, March 14, 2021 at 8pm ET. Key deadlines and dates have also been released for the celebration of excellence in film and television.
Per a statement from the Screen Actors Guild: “With this new show date, the SAG Awards is extending its eligibility period by two months. Motion pictures, primetime television, cable, and new media programs first exhibited or broadcast during the period of January 1, 2020 – February 28, 2021 may qualify.”
“Submissions for nomination consideration for the 27th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards will open Monday, September 21, 2020 and will close Friday, November 20, 2020,” the statement continues. “With the actor’s permission, producers, studios/networks, agents, managers, or publicists may submit a performance for consideration in a category of the actor’s choosing. Actors may also submit their own performances. All submissions must be submitted online at sagawards.org/submissions.
Nominations for the 27th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards will be announced on Thursday, February 4, 2021.
Per IndieWire’s Bill Desowtiz: “The 19th annual VES Awards will take place April 6, 2021 at the Beverly Hilton. The Visual Effects Society honors visual effects excellence in a photoreal feature, episodic TV, supporting photoreal feature, and animated feature. In addition, there are also the honorary VES Lifetime Achievement Award, the Visionary Award, and the Award for Creative Excellence.
The Cinema Audio Society (CAS) has set the date and timeline for the 57th Annual CAS Awards, which are being delayed along with the Oscars. The 2021 CAS Awards ceremony will take place April 17, 2021 in Los Angeles. The eligibility period for movies that can compete for the 2021 CAS Awards is January 1, 2020 – February 28, 2021. Final nominees in each category will be announced Tuesday, March 2, 2021.
Similar to the Oscars changing their eligibility rules to allow streaming and VOD films, the CAS Awards have announced that for the 57th Awards year only “theatrical motion pictures that had a previously planned theatrical release but are initially made available on commercial streaming or VOD service may qualify under certain circumstances” for awards.
“2020 has been a year fraught with challenges that have threatened our physical, economic, and moral health as a community,” said CAS President Karol Urban in a statement. “This is an important time to feel a sense of oneness and to recognize the efforts and accomplishments of our professional contributions as sound mixers. The world is watching and listening like never before. Therefore, the Cinema Audio Society is delighted to announce the calendar for our 57th CAS Awards. While details concerning the nature of our event are still being determined, we look forward to the celebration.”
The 2021 Golden Globes has grabbed the February 28 date abandoned by the Oscars. The 2021 Globes will be hosted by comedians Tina Fey and Amy Poehler and will air live coast to coast from 5-8 p.m. PT/8-11 p.m. ET on NBC. The show is available in more than 210 territories worldwide. Click here for more info on the Golden Globes date change.
The Critics Choice Association (CCA) has announced the 2021 ceremony will take place March 7, 2021. The event will once again be hosted by Taye Diggs and be broadcast live on The CW network. The ceremony will continue by handing out its film and television awards in a single ceremony. The Critics Choice Awards usually take place in January in between the Golden Globes and the Oscar nominations announcement (the 2020 awards show took place January 12), but the 2021 ceremony is moving to March now that the 2021 Oscars are set for April,
“Now more than ever, people are turning to film and television as a source of comfort, as a means of education, and as a way to connect,” said Critics Choice Association CEO Joey Berlin in a statement. “With the revised timeline, we are looking forward to celebrating all of the brilliant new work created during this extended season.”
Television nominations for the 2021 Critics Choice Awards will be announced January 18, 2021, followed by the announcement of film nominations on February 7, 2021.
The Santa Barbara International Film Festival (SBIFF) is shifting its dates for its 36th annual event, which will now take place from March 31 – April 10, 2021.
“Like so many other prestigious ceremonies and events, we’ve had to adjust our plans in this extremely unprecedented era,” said SBIFF Executive Director Roger Durling in a statement. “There has never been a more critical time to celebrate cinema and its ability to get us through extremely
challenging circumstances, whether on a personal level or on a global scale, by keeping us entertained, informed and inspired.”
While SBIFF is a festival, the event also gives out tribute awards that have become a crucial stop on the awards season circuit. Last year’s event honored Laura Dern, Brad Pitt, Bong Joon Ho, and Renee Zellweger, all of whom went on to win Oscars earlier this year. Oscar nominees Florence Pugh and Cynthia Erivo were also recipients of tributes, as were Oscar contenders Awkwafina, Taron Edgerton, Beanie Feldstein, and Taylor Russell.
The Film Independent Spirit Awards, which has traditionally been held the day before the Oscars, has followed the Academy’s lead and are now planning to hold its ceremony on April 24, 2021. Read more information about the Spirit Awards date change here.
The 2021 BAFTA Film Awards are on the move following today’s announcement that the 93rd Academy Awards are being delayed by two months. The 2021 BAFTA ceremony was set to take place February 14 but will now be held on April 11. The 2021 Oscars are taking place April 25, eight weeks after the original February 28 date. Variety first reported the news about the BAFTA date change. The BAFTAs are the first major awards ceremony to push back its 2021 ceremony date following the Oscars delay.
“This change from the previously announced date of Feb. 14 acknowledges the impact of the global pandemic and accommodates an extended eligibility period. Further details on the ceremony will be announced later in the year,” BAFTA said in a statement.
The organization added, “The date for the 2022 Film Awards, announced last year as 13 February, is currently under consideration as part of the Awards Review (set up following this year’s Film nominations), and any changes will be published once the Review has been completed, alongside other findings and recommendations.”
IndieWire’s awards expert Anne Thompson wrote of the Oscars’ date change: “With a two-month extension, studios will have extra time to finish their movies and postpone release dates without sacrificing their chances at Oscar contention. Ridley Scott, for example, is prepping to virtually direct the last few weeks of shooting in Ireland on ‘The Last Duel’ starring Ben Affleck and Matt Damon, which was interrupted March 13. He has edited one hour of the period adventure after four weeks filming in France, and was trying to finish in time for a December 25 release date.”
This is the second time in a week the BAFTA Awards have made an announcement following changes executed by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. The Academy announced last week it would be committing to 10 Best Picture nominees starting at the 94th Academy Awards, where it would also begin implementing “representation and inclusion standards for Oscars eligibility.” The BAFTAs followed that announcement by saying it would join the Academy in adopting “representation and inclusion standards.” What those requirements are have yet to be revealed. The Academy plans to make an announcement on the matter by July 31.
Back in 2018, BAFTA became the first film awards organization to introduce diversity criteria. The group used the BFI Diversity Standards as a requirement for eligibility for the British Film and Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer categories in 2018. BAFTA plans to “tighten the requirements” moving forward and “also roll them out to cover BAFTA Games and Television Awards.”
