The HFPA association also said the members can consider films that have not screened first in a theatre, at least until April 30.
The Hollywood Foreign Press Association has announced temporary measures to adjust the requirements for Golden Globe Awards eligibility as movie theatres and screening rooms have had to close due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The HFPA, unlike other press associations, in most cases get their own private screenings for eligible films. “These rules have been provisionally modified,” a statement from HFPA reads. “In light of the closure of all theatres and screening rooms in Los Angeles, the requirement that a motion picture release must be screened for HFPA members in a theatre or screening room is temporarily suspended.”
Previously, the eligibility rules held that films had to be in theatres or on pay-per-view cable or pay-per-view digital delivery (not subscription cable or digital delivery) in the greater Los Angeles area for a minimum of seven days before midnight on December 31 of the qualifying year.
Now, under the temporary rules, motion pictures need only to have “had a bona fide theatrical release planned to begin in Los Angeles” to be deemed eligible.
The modified rules are in effect from March 15 until April 30, though HFPA said it will continue to monitor the COVID-19 epidemic and reserves the right to extend those dates.
