'This change acknowledges the impact of the global pandemic and accommodates an extended eligibility period,' BAFTA says.
Following the postponement of next year's Oscars, the rest of awards season is following suit: The 2021 EE British Academy Film Awards has been redated to take place two weeks ahead of the Academy Awards.
BAFTA announced on Monday that its upcoming ceremony will be held on April 11, 2021. "This change from the previously announced date of Feb. 14 acknowledges the impact of the global pandemic and accommodates an extended eligibility period," BAFTA said in a statement.
The BAFTA Awards traditionally takes place two weeks before the Oscars, so it's only fitting that the Academy's announcement earlier in the day -- that its ceremony had been pushed from Feb. 28 to April 25 -- would prompt a rescheduling from BAFTA.
Academy President David Rubin and CEO Dawn Hudson, upon announcing a new date for the Oscars, said, "For over a century, movies have played an important role in comforting, inspiring, and entertaining us during the darkest of times. They certainly have this year."
The statement continues, "Our hope, in extending the eligibility period and our Awards date, is to provide the flexibility filmmakers need to finish and release their films without being penalized for something beyond anyone’s control."
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