British Academy Film Awards called-off by two months

Next year’s British Academy Film Awards have been postponed by two months, organizers said Tuesday. The move follows a decision by Hollywood’s film academy to shift the 2021 Oscars from February to April because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The British Academy said the awards will be held on April 11, rather than the previously announced February 14. The academy has also changed eligibility rules so that



films whose theatrical releases were curtailed or switched to online-only releases will be eligible for consideration.

Film committee chair Marc Samuelson said the new date would “give all films the best possible chance to be released and considered properly.”

The British awards are usual held a week or two before the Oscars and have become an important awards-season staging post.