Oscar Season Is Going to Be Weird Again, from the Festivals to Award Shows

Expect the unexpected. That has become the mantra for many industries as the pandemic continues to upend routine. In the film world, last year’s awards season was one of many rituals thrown off by a number of factors, from the prolonged qualification window to the late Oscar ceremony. This time, it looks like things are going to get weird again: Some fall film festivals are revving their engines, but the recent news of the pandemic’s impact has left a lot of open questions about which ones can successfully launch major Oscar titles into the conversation. Meanwhile, the Independent Spirit Awards have moved to an earlier date on the calendar as they aim for greater awards season influence.

What does all this mean for the months ahead? In this week’s episode of Screen Talk, Eric Kohn and Anne Thompson discuss the evolving state of the season. They also recap the outcome of the Palme d’Or ceremony from last week’s Cannes Film Festival, and why the big winner might not have been such a great surprise after all.

Watch the full episode above or listen to it below.

Screen Talk is produced by Leonardo Adrian Garcia and available on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, and hosted by Megaphone. You can subscribe here or via RSS. Share your feedback with Thompson and Kohn on Twitter. Browse previous installments here, review the show on Apple Podcasts, and be sure to let us know if you’d like to hear the hosts address specific issues in upcoming editions of Screen Talk. Check out the rest of IndieWire’s podcasts on Apple Podcasts right here.