VFX Academy Awards announce updates in the wake of LA wildfires

Academy Awards announce updates in the wake of LA wildfires

The Academy Awards has announced updates to its key dates and schedule of events due to the impact of the Los Angeles-area wildfires.

The Academy CEO Bill Kramer and president Janet Yang said, “We are all devastated by the impact of the fires and the profound losses experienced by so many in our community. 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. We also look forward to honouring our frontline workers who have aided with the fires, recognising 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 updates for the Academy Awards are:

  • The nominations voting period is extended through Friday, 17 January at 5 pm PT.
  • The nominations announcement is rescheduled for Thursday, 23 January at 5:30 am PT. The live announcement will be a virtual event without in-person media coverage. 
  • The Nominees Luncheon which was scheduled for Monday, 10 February will not be held this year. 
  • The Scientific and Technical Awards, scheduled for Tuesday, 18 February will be rescheduled to a later date which is not disclosed yet. The dates announced are subjected to changes given to the mentioned circumstances.

Earlier in December 2024, the Academy had announced shortlists in 10 categories, including Animated Short Film and Visual Effects categories.

The 97th Oscars will still be held on Sunday, 2 March 2025, at the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood and will be televised live at 7 pm ET/4 pm PT on ABC, streamed live on Hulu and air live in more than 200 territories worldwide.

VFX