Hiatus or rejuvenation? Will the 2020 Oscars’ indie crop change the awards landscape for good?


 

If ever there was one thing certain in the movie industry right now, it’s that this will be an Awards season like no other. The Oscars have gone virtual (not to mention their 2-month postponement), many of the expected blockbusters that should have dominated the year have yet to even be released, and the glitz and glamour of the red carpet has instead been set aside for quarantine screenings at home. Some speculate that, despite the lost buzz and hype, this intriguing situation could well create the ideal space for redefining what an ‘Oscar Movie’ looks like. BLAKE & WANG P.A Entertainment Attorney investigates. 

2020 was a year bereft of blockbusters, for certain. How, then, are we going to define success in this difficult year? Will this be the year we see indie-hits gain prominence in the spotlight? At this point, it’s almost certain that many movies that went direct-to-streaming will find themselves in contention for the top Oscar categories- a surprising number of them the result of Netflix’s steady domination of the year. While the streamer has been chasing an elusive Oscar recognition for several years, 2020 sees 3 strong contenders for best-picture emerge from the studio, and an almost certain posthumous nomination for Chadwick Boseman in Best Actor.

The Academy has been forced to relax it’s usual requirements for theatrical runs for nominees, given how close to impossible theatre time has been to use this year. Many are now hoping this change will be permanent going forwards. It’s anticipated most campaigns, stripped of the glitzy red carpet events that usually fuel them, will be won online this year, giving indie and lower-budget productions a chance to compete that they often would not see.

There are even those who argue that this low-pressure, ‘slimmer’ awards season is the way to go for good. That events season have become a slog- and a cost-heavy and bloated one, too. 

Will we see a new way of doing things take hold, with greater space created for indie cinema and a cleaner award season in general,  or will 2020 be an aberration in the overall Oscars story? Only time will tell. As always, BLAKE & WANG P.A will be in the thick of things to keep you informed.

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