The wildfires in Los Angeles, California, continue to ravage the area, with at least 24 people confirmed dead and many more missing. Local officials admit that the death toll is expected to rise as the dangerous situation is exacerbated by the strong winds that have resurged this week.
The organizers of the Oscars, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, initially delayed the announcement of the 97th Academy Awards nominations from the 8th to the 18th of January, only to postpone it again to the 23rd.
Bill Kramer, the CEO of the Academy, and Janet Yang, the Academy’s president, issued a joint statement on the 14th, expressing their sorrow over the devastating impact of the fires on the community. The nominations for the 97th Oscars will now be revealed on the 23rd of January.
The statement explained that due to the ongoing spread of the wildfires in the Los Angeles area, the Academy has extended the nomination voting period for its members until the 18th to accommodate the challenging circumstances. Originally, the nominations were set to be announced in the morning on that day.
The Academy stated that the decision to delay the nominations announcement was made to give its members more time to vote, considering that many of them reside in Los Angeles and are currently affected both personally and professionally. Given the damages caused by the fires, ongoing repairs are necessary, hence the necessity for rescheduling the event dates.
In addition to the postponement of the nominations announcement, the annual Oscar Nominees Luncheon, scheduled for February 10th, has been canceled. Moreover, the presentation of the Scientific and Technical Awards, originally planned for February 18th, has been delayed with no new date announced yet.
The 97th Academy Awards ceremony is still set to take place on March 2nd at the Dolby Theatre, despite the challenges posed by the wildfires and the subsequent adjustments to the pre-award events.