Following Oscars’ Lead, European Film Academy Allows Online Contenders

The European Film Academy, following a similar move by the Academy Awards, will bend its rules this year to allow films that premiere online to qualify for the European Film Awards (EFAs).

Normally, only films that premiered in theaters in Europe between June 1, 2019 and May 31, 2020 would be eligible for the EFAs, the European equivalent of the Oscars. But with theaters across the continent shut down due to COVID-19, the respiratory illness caused by the virus, the European Academy has adjusted its criteria.

Any film that had a theatrical premiere scheduled but premieres online or in theaters in Europe by the end of November 2020 will be eligible for the 2020 EFAs. Films must be submitted by May 31 and be made available to EFA members on the Academy’s own VOD platform.

In a statement, EFA chairman Mike Downey said the European Academy “remains committed to European cinema and its creators” and made the changes “to ensure the ongoing future of the selection for this year’s European Film Awards.”

Last month, the U.S. Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences dropped the requirement that submitted films screen for at least one week in a Los Angeles-area theater in order to be eligible. Submitted films must be made available for Academy members to view on the organization’s members-only streaming service, Academy Screening Room, within 60 days of being released on a streamer or VOD service.

Related Stories

Related Story

Oscars During Coronavirus: Academy Rules Streamed Films Eligible, Merges Sound Categories