Oscars 2025 to honour Los Angeles amid wildfire crisis, skip live performances

Oscars 2025 is set to honour Los Angeles amid the crisis caused by the wildfires. This year, the committee has even decided to do away with the live performances and focus more on songwriters.

In Short

• Focus shifts to songwriters over performances.
• This year, the ceremony will honour Los Angeles amid the wildfire crisis
• Focus to shift to songwriters rather than live prformances

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has sent a letter to all the members and confirmed that the ceremony will take place on March 2. This year, the ceremony will also honour Los Angeles amid its wildfire crisis.

In a letter by Academy CEO Bill Kramer and President Janet Yang, they wrote, “We will honor Los Angeles as the city of dreams, showcasing its beauty and resilience, as well as its role as a beacon for filmmakers and creative visionaries for over a century. We will reflect on the recent events while highlighting the strength, creativity, and optimism that defines Los Angeles and our industry.”

This year, the ceremony will also skip the performances of the Oscar-nominated songs and will focus on the songwriters.

Earlier, each of the nominated songs was performed onstage during the telecast while the songwriters were acknowledged. However, now, in a different twist to the ceremony this year, the focus will be on the songwriters listed as nominees in the best original song category.

“This year the best original song category presentation will move away from live performances and will be focused on the songwriters. We will celebrate their artistry through personal reflections from the teams who bring these songs to life. All of this, and more, will uncover the stories and inspiration behind this year’s nominees,” the CEO added.

The letter towards the end also promised ‘powerful musical moments that connect film’s rich history to its bold and inspiring future.’

Meanwhile, the Oscars 2025 nominations will be announced on January 23, at 7 pm IST. The announcement will be available to stream on Disney+ Hotstar. The nominations will be announced by Bowen Yang and Racel Sennotti.