Los Angeles: The Academy of Motion Picture Art & Sciences has announced a roll back of its decision to present four categories of Oscars during the commercial breaks. In its attempt to keep the live telecast under three hours, the Academy had decided to present four categories of cinematography, film editing, live action shorts and make-up and hairstyling, during commercial breaks with the winners' speeches set to air later in the broadcast.
Academy president John Bailey, a cinematographer himself, in an email to the members had said the change would be on a rotation each year, meaning that at least four different categories would use this format in 2020 and that the four mentioned would be exempt.
The news had led to a huge controversy with many Hollywood A-listers such as George Clooney, Brad Pitt and Christopher Nolan, among others, urging the Academy to reverse its decision.
In a brief statement on Friday, the Academy's Board of Governors said, "The Academy has heard the feedback from its membership regarding the Oscar presentation of four awards – Cinematography, Film Editing, Live Action Short, and Make-up and Hairstyling. All Academy Awards will be presented without edits, in our traditional format. We look forward to Oscar Sunday, February 24," it added.
Earlier, the American Society of Cinematographers had sent a letter to the Academy urging a roll back of its decision. The letter was signed by directors Michael Mann, Alejandro G Inarritu, Guillermo del Toro, Denis Villeneuve and actors such as Robert DeNiro, Elizabeth Banks, Peter Dinklage and Kerry Washington. Guillermo del Toro and his Mexican counterpart, Alfonso Cuaron were among the first to criticise the Academy's decision on Twitter.
