Nominees for the 2021 Oscars have been told they will not be allowed to attend the ceremony via Zoom.
In a letter sent to nominees and published by Deadline, producers said a virtual appearance is not allowed and the Academy will accept awards on behalf of any winner unable to make the show.
The letter, from producers of the show Steven Soderbergh, Stacey Sher and Jesse Collins, states: “For those of you unable to attend because of scheduling or continued uneasiness about traveling, we want you to know there will not be an option to Zoom in for the show.
“We are going to great lengths to provide a safe and ENJOYABLE evening for all of you in person, as well as for all the millions of film fans around the world, and we feel the virtual thing will diminish those efforts.”
It continued: “We are treating the event as an active movie set, with specially designed testing cadences to ensure up-to-the-minute results, including an on-site Covid safety team with PCR testing capability.
“There will be specific instructions for those of you traveling in from outside of Los Angeles, and other instructions for those of you who are already based in Los Angeles. This will all come directly to you from the Academy to ensure you have a safe, carefree evening (a glimpse of the future?)”
The letter also set out a strict dress code.
It added: “We’re aiming for a fusion of Inspirational and Aspirational, which in actual words means formal is totally cool if you want to go there, but casual is really not.”
Despite some social distancing restrictions still being in place in America, it was confirmed towards the end of last year that the 2021 ceremony is set to be held in person.
Taking place on April 25, the Oscars will be held at Union Station in downtown Los Angeles with some live elements from the ceremony’s usual home at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood.
Nomadland, The Trial of the Chicago 7 and Mank are among this year’s contenders.
The post Oscar nominees have been told virtual Zoom appearances are not an option appeared first on NME.
