The Academy Will No Longer Screen Nominated Movies To Members

TV & Film

Feb 11

The Academy Awards — Image Source: Vanity Fair

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has announced that it will no longer hold screenings of Oscar-nominated films. Members of the Academy were notified of this development in an email last month, which prompted outrage. The Academy has long held screenings of award hopefuls for its members throughout the year, as well as after the nominations were announced. Screenings were typically held in Los Angeles, New York, London, and the Bay Area; however, attendance at these screenings has declined as members now have access to an Academy Screening Room, which allows them to watch films online. The Academy claims that post-nomination screenings have taken a hit, and “an average of five members attended these screenings in the last two years”, which they highlighted in their email to members last month. They have now decided to eliminate screenings to save money.

Although they insist that screenings are a waste of resources, members are outraged that they’ll now be forced to watch films like Avatar and Frankenstein at home, even though that may not be the best medium to analyze how well these visual masterpieces were crafted. However, the Academy believes that members have the opportunity to watch these films in theaters on their own, making screenings unnecessary. They’ve also pointed out that studios often hold FYC screenings, which give members another exclusive opportunity to watch Oscar hopefuls on the big screen. In their letter, they have pointed out that “we have increased member connectivity to FYC screenings by our industry partners via our FYC screenings calendar on the member site.” However, “Moving forward, as turnout for our post-nomination screenings has been incredibly small over the last few years (an average of five members attended these screenings in the last two years), we will not rescreen these films.”

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