Illustration by Jasper Rietman
With theaters shuttered, voters have started watching this year s awards contenders online, but filmmakers worry at-home distractions and laptop viewing could diminish the impact of movies and influence voting choices.
Back in the now-halcyon days of October 2019, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences unveiled a revamped streaming service so that its members an increasingly far-flung group, as more and more international filmmakers have been recruited to join would have easy access to Oscar contenders without having to search out official screenings or even venture into actual movie theaters. The so-called Academy Screening Room, available to members via the Academy s own website as well as an app for fourth-generation Apple TV devices, was up and running.