Yahoo News Golden Globe Awards change eligibility rules due to coronavirus
COVID-19 has already been wreaking havoc in the entertainment industry, with films and TV shows shutting down production, cinema releases getting delayed and events being cancelled – and now the 2021 Golden Globes have been affected too.
The Hollywood Foreign Press Association, which gives out the annual film and television awards, has announced that it will be implementing changes to its film eligibility rules for the 2021 Globes due to the indefinite closure of cinemas and screening rooms.
The organisation currently has a rule that states a film must be screened for HFPA members in person in the Los Angeles area in order to be considered for a nomination.
But it has now introduced new guidelines which state that film distributors should contact the HFPA to arrange a screening date – which still needs to meet the timing requirements – and that members must be provided with a link or a DVD copy of the film to watch on this date.
Film release rules have also been temporarily altered in response to the pandemic. Under the usual Golden Globe rules, films can only be considered for a nomination if they have been released in cinemas or made available on pay-per-view cable or pay-per-view digital delivery in the Los Angeles area for a minimum of seven days beginning before December 31.
But the HFPA will now also consider films that had a theatrical release planned to begin in Los Angeles between March 15 and April 30.
"The HFPA will continue to assess the impact of the COVID-19 epidemic on motion picture and television distribution and exhibition and may extend these suspensions of the Golden Globe award rules and/or may make other temporary variations to those rules as it considers appropriate in the future," the organisation announced in a statement.
The 78th Golden Globes are expected to take place in January 2021 and will see Tina Fey and Amy Poehler return as ceremony hosts, having last presented the ceremony together in 2015.
The information in this story is accurate as of the publication date. While we are attempting to keep our content as up-to-date as possible, the situation surrounding the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic continues to develop rapidly, so it's possible that some information and recommendations may have changed since publishing. For any concerns and latest advice, visit the World Health Organisation. If you're in the UK, the National Health Service can also provide useful information and support, while US users can contact the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
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