Film Academy makes major changes to Oscar screening rules, explained

Changes are coming to how Oscar nominated films are viewed now by Academy members and the shift is already sparking massive buzz online among the fans.

A sudden decision by the Film Academy is set to end a long running tradition that has been part of awards season for years now.

The Motion Picture Arts and Sciences decided that it will no longer screen Oscar nominated films for members after nominations are announced.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the decision, however, was shared through the January Academy Bulletin and it only became widely known when some members tried to speak out against it.

The Academy explained that very few members were attending these screenings.

Over the past two years, most post nomination screenings were attended by around five people.

At the same time, each screening cost thousands of dollars and because of low turnout and high costs, Academy shared that the screenings don’t make sense anymore.

In the past, the star-studded award show held in person screenings in cities like Los Angeles, New York, London and the Bay Area.

Attendance, moreover, started to fall after the launch of the Academy Screening Room, a members only streaming platform introduced seven years ago.

Some members were very unhappy and said that a few films need to be watched in theaters to be judged properly, to which Academy responded by saying that members already have many chances to see films before nominations.