Hamilton, the Broadway musical that’s become a cultural sensation, is now available to stream on Disney+. And although this year’s Oscar Awards has made exceptions to allow films that skipped theatrical debuts, Hamilton won’t be in the running for any awards.
Lin Manuel-Miranda’s period musical filmed for Disney+ isn’t eligible for an Oscar Award since it falls under the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences rule of excluding “works that are essentially unfiltered records of performances.” But it sounds like Disney is going to submit the film anyway, in hopes to possibly bend those rules.
The filmed production of Hamilton seems like it would be an easy shew-in for an Oscar, seeing as it’s already swept up almost every other award it’s been nominated for, including 11 Tonys, a Grammy, and a Pulitzer Prize.
The temporarily relaxed rules on Oscar Awards eligibility is a direct response to theaters being closed around the country for what may turn out to be the better part of 2020. This decision makes it a little less painful for films that would be in the running to still have a shot even if they choose to head straight to streaming rather than wait for enough theaters to reopen.
“The Academy firmly believes there is no greater way to experience the magic of movies than to see them in a theater. Our commitment to that is unchanged and unwavering. Nonetheless, the historically tragic COVID-19 pandemic necessitates this temporary exception to our awards eligibility rules,” Academy President David Rubin and CEO Dawn Hudson said in a statement.
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