The Oscars are making what’s described as a one-time-only concession by allowing movies initially made available via streaming or video on demand to compete for best picture in next year’s awards.

The decision came from the board for the group that presides over the Academy Awards, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. The board also made several other changes to the awards process, among them the consolidation of sound editing and sound mixing into one “sound” category.

The Academy cited the forced closure of theaters due to the COVID-19 pandemic, noting that only movies with a “previously planned theatrical release” would be eligible. Previously, films needed to have at least a weeklong theatrical run in order to qualify for consideration.

In a statement, Academy president David Rubin and CEO Dawn Hudson stressed that the organization’s commitment to the theatrical experience is “unchanged and unwavering.”

The Academy has faced pressure to relax its rules as Netflix, especially, pushes for inclusion in the awards competition.

Director Steven Spielberg, among other high-profile members, has spoken out about maintaining the distinction between streaming and theatrical releases.

The date for the 93rd annual Academy Awards remains Feb. 28 of next year, although the Academy acknowledged that additional changes might be necessary, “based on national guidelines, state-mandated government orders and Academy-determined best practices.”

After low ratings for this year’s Oscars, the board approved several additional procedural changes, among them allowing all members to vote in the international feature film category, formerly known as best foreign-language film.

The Academy also announced that the current award season will be the last in which studios are allowed to distribute DVD screeners to voters. Citing environmental concerns, distribution will shift to digital versions in 2021.

Words to Learn 相关词汇

【让步】 ràngbù concession something done or agreed to usually grudgingly in order to reach an agreement or improve a situation

【区别对待】qūbié duìdài distinction the act of perceiving someone or something as being not the same and often treating as separate or different

奥斯卡奖做出了“仅此一次”的妥协：允许在流媒体首播或通过视频点播平台播放的电影竞争明年的奥斯卡奖最佳影片。

这一决定是由奥斯卡金像奖的主办单位 —— 美国电影艺术与科学学院做出的，该学院还对评奖流程做了几个其他改动，其中包括将最佳音效剪辑和最佳音响效果合为一个奖。

学院声称做出这一决定是因为新冠肺炎疫情导致影院被迫关门，并指出只有“原计划在影院上映”的电影才有资格参加奥斯卡奖评选。之前，电影需要在影院至少上映一周才有资格参选。

学院主席大卫▪鲁宾和首席执行官道恩▪哈德森在一份声明中强调，该组织对影院体验的信奉“没有改变，也不会动摇”。学院面临着放松规定的压力，尤其是来自奈飞的压力，奈飞一直在奋力争取让线上电影获得奥斯卡奖评选资格。

导演斯蒂芬▪斯皮尔伯格和其他知名度高的学院成员曾经公开表示过要保持流媒体电影和影院放映电影之间的差别。

明年的第93届奥斯卡奖年度颁奖礼仍然在2月28日举行，不过学院承认可能还会有其他变动，“基于国家的指导意见、国家规定的政令和院方决定的最佳做法”。

由于今年的奥斯卡颁奖礼收视率太差，主办方通过了其他几个评奖程序变动，其中包括允许所有成员给最佳国际电影奖（原来叫作“最佳外语片

奖”）投票。

学院还宣布，这个颁奖季将是最后一次允许将预览版光盘发给评委。院方称，基于环保考虑，2021年将改为数字化分发方式。

(chinadaily.com.cn)