The ramifications of the Los Angeles wildfires continue. This morning, The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences made substantial changes to the 2025 Oscars calendar including extending the voting period, changing the nominations date, and canceling the annual Oscars Nominee Luncheon. The telecast is still set for Sunday, March 2, 2025.
Notably, the voting window will now remain open through this Friday, January 17 at 5 PM PT. That gives members an additional three days to vote. The original extension was through Tomorrow, January 14.
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More importantly, the Oscar nominations will now be revealed on Thursday, January 23 at 5:30 AM PT. It was originally rescheduled for Sunday, January 19. This now conflicts with the opening of the 2025 Sundance Film Festival.
The Academy has also decided to cancel the annual Oscars Nominees Luncheon, originally scheduled for Monday, February 10. Moreover, the Scientific and Technical Awards, intended for Tuesday, February 18, are now being rescheduled for a later date yet to be determined.
In their announcement, The Academy noted “that all dates are subject to change.”
Academy CEO Bill Kramer and Academy President Janet Yang provided the following statement:
“We are all devastated by the impact of the fires and the profound losses experienced by so many in our community. The Academy has always been a unifying force within the film industry, and we are committed to standing together in the face of hardship. Due to the still-active fires in the Los Angeles area, we feel it is necessary to extend our voting period and move the date of our nominations announcement to allow additional time for our members.Additionally, as we want to be sensitive to the infrastructure and lodging needs of the region in these next few weeks, it is imperative that we make some changes to our schedule of events, which we believe will have the support of our industry.Our members always share how important it is for us to come together as a community, and we are determined to use this opportunity to celebrate our resilient and compassionate industry. We also look forward to honoring our frontline workers who have aided with the fires, recognizing those impacted, and encouraging people to join the Academy in supporting the relief efforts. We will get through this together and bring a sense of healing to our global film community.”
The Academy has also donated $750,000 to the MPTF (the Motion Pictures Television Fund) to assist those affected by the fires.