Like a horror franchise killer who never dies, the awards season is back again!
For years, the awards media crowd considered the new season to be underway as studios started sending DVD screeners for Academy members to consider and, hopefully, make part of the early Oscar conversation. This year the Academy’s not allowing studios to distribute screeners to its members. Films seeking consideration must be uploaded to the online Academy Screening Room (ASR). No in-person Oscar screenings will be possible until 2022.
Placing a film on ASR cost $12,500 last year when screeners were still permitted, and uploading was optional. Documentary films won’t have to pay to be on ASR, presumably due to their typically low budgets and indie distribution.
Four films are already playing for consideration on ASR: Netflix’s animated comedy adventure THE MITCHELLS VS. THE MACHINES (pictured) from Sony Pictures Animation; and three Amazon contenders — Paramount’s comedy COMING 2 AMERICA, Paramount/Skydance’s action drama THE TOMORROW WAR & the European musical romantic drama ANNETTE, which won Best Director (Leos Carax) at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival.