How Will The Academy Respond To The Golden Globes Adjusted Eligibility Requirements?

By Daniel Howat 

​In light of the COVID-19 shutdown of movie theaters, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association announced a new, adjusted period of eligibility for the Golden Globe Awards. From March 15 until April 30, films may qualify without the typical required theatrical release. Films may premiere on a nontheatrical platform such as a streaming service or even broadcast television as long as the distributor provides an official screening link for the members of the HFPA during this time. They also said that the time period will be subject to review, provided theaters remain closed into May as many expect.

While it makes sense for film awards bodies to adjust requirements during this time, it’s also a little too soon. With only a few key exceptions, spring isn’t exactly the heart of awards season. The closest awards contenders we have thus far are Elisabeth Moss’s performance in “The Invisible Man” and Best Animated Feature hopeful “Onward”. It’s far too early to be able to anticipate how the ripple effects of the COVID-19 pandemic will affect the 2020 awards race. Still, it will indeed affect it.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences isn’t likely to follow the HFPA’s lead here, at least not yet. Any true Oscar hopefuls have either postponed their releases or weren’t even scheduled until later in the year. But how long will movie theaters be closed? And even when they reopen, how long until crowds truly start to come back? No doubt, the Academy will have to address these concerns as we approach the fall.

While members of the Academy already receive screener links and copies of most eligible titles, films are required to have a qualifying one-week release in a Los Angeles theater. If much of the world remains isolated through the summer, it would only be right for the Academy to adjust its eligibility requirements accordingly. Removing this qualification, as the Golden Globes temporarily have, will allow films to premiere on a streaming service in place of a risky theatrical release. Netflix has been pushing for this for years as they desperately vie for Best Picture. Still, the Academy has held strong against the idea.

Since no true awards contenders have yet to be affected by this shift, it’s hard to tell how the Academy will react. But soon, films like Wes Anderson’s “The French Dispatch” and Christopher Nolan’s “Tenet,” films that have genuine awards potential, may need to vacate their release dates. What happens then?

​Would an adjustment of eligibility give Netflix an unfair advantage? They’re bloodthirsty (or gold thirsty?) for a Best Picture win. Additionally, they already have a strong infrastructure for releasing and campaigning films without a theatrical release. Other studios would need to pivot. They’ve already begun this, in a sense, releasing some films very early to rent on streaming platforms, like “The Invisible Man,” “Onward,” and “Emma”. Still, it’s unlikely studios would test this out for major releases. It’s just too risky.

Further, what happens to the awards race should more film festivals cancel, as SXSW and Cannes have? Telluride Film Festival, scheduled for early September, is often seen as an unofficial launch for awards season, followed shortly by the Toronto International Film Festival. Without gathering buzz throughout a typical festival run, many films will have a difficult time finding an audience.

Hopefully, there will be no need for any sort of shift in awards season. We hope that theaters can safely reopen sooner rather than later and that film festivals can happen as scheduled. Of course, we don’t know how long this shutdown will last for theaters. Though the Academy is likely hesitant to do so, an eligibility shift is a likely outcome of our current crisis. If the Academy is going to hand out awards for the best in film in 2020, they can’t ignore the effect this shutdown will have on film this year.

What do you think is going to happen with the eligibility for certain films this year for the Oscars? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below or on our Twitter account.

You can follow Daniel and hear more of his thoughts on the Oscars and Film on Twitter at @howatdk