Indiewire‘s Anne Thompson believes that the Oscar race or perhaps the show itself needs to somehow raise the general consciousness by focusing on raising money to support the industry. (And particularly exhibition, I’m thinking.) The ’21 Oscars need to become a spiritual fundraiser thing….the ultimate Night of a Thousand Stars.

The Academy should probably “step away from ABC,” Thompson suggests, as the network’s typical demands are not in synch with the existential pandemic reality that the industry is facing.

The Oscars, in other words, should be a little more about celebrating the industry itself and make the whole shebang into a kind of fundraiser, and the awards should perhaps be more about commercial potency and a little less about effete criteria. Or something like that. Maybe the Oscars need to delay a month or so? Sidenote: “The small indie films are going to get hurt.”

Will the 2020 Telluride Film Festival in fact be adding an extra day because they’ll have many more films to show this year than they’ll know what to do with? If so I need to reserve an extra day at the Mountainside Inn, the poor man’s Telluride lodging option. If this happens they’ll probably start a day early rather than a day late.