Due to the deadly wildfires ravaging Los Angeles, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has extended the Oscar nomination voting period.
Originally scheduled to close on January 12, the voting window for the nearly 10,000 Academy members will now remain open until January 14. The announcement was made in an email sent to members by Academy CEO Bill Kramer on Wednesday afternoon.
Kramer wrote, “We want to offer our deepest condolences to those who have been impacted by the devastating fires across Southern California. So many of our members and industry colleagues live and work in the Los Angeles area, and we are thinking of you.”
In addition to the voting extension, the Academy has postponed the nominations announcement from January 17 to January 19. Other schedule changes include the postponement of the International Feature Shortlist Screening and the cancellation of the in-person Sound Branch and Makeup Artists and Hairstylists Branch Bake-Offs, originally planned for January 11 in Los Angeles and New York.
Meanwhile, Conan O’Brien is set to host the 2025 Oscars ceremony on March 2.
The Los Angeles wildfires, fueled by excessive winds, have claimed at least five lives and destroyed over 1,000 structures in areas like Malibu and Santa Monica. CalFire has described the Palisades Fire as “the most destructive” in Los Angeles County’s history.
