Academy CEO Bill Kramer is not worried about viewers only tuning into the Oscars when blockbusters are nominated. While this year's Best Picture lineup includes Wicked—which will likely have a major song and dance number during the ceremony—there are also independent features like Anora and international pictures like I'm Still Here.
"There are many ways to look at this and to bring in new audiences," he says over Zoom, behind him a poster of Oscar-winning South Korean film Parasite. "I think it's really exciting that we have a diverse slate of films on many levels this year."
The year in question comes with a lot of question marks going into the ceremony. The awards will be held March 2, in the aftermath of devastating wildfires in Los Angeles, with a new host (Conan O'Brien) and a chaotic awards season in the rearview. Plus, there's the matter of whether artists will use the platform as a way to speak out against President Trump. ("If an artist gets up on stage and wants to have a moment that is specific to their point of view, that is their prerogative," Kramer says diplomatically, regarding that last point.)
It's also all streaming on Hulu for the first time, simultaneously with the live broadcast on ABC. In the future, streaming will become more and more central to the show, Kramer says.
The fires presented the most pressing issue of how the event was going to play out this year, and Kramer says the organization felt a "responsibility" to press forward in the wake of the fires, not only as a celebration of the industry but as a job creator. What will that look like in the context of the telecast?
"We want there to be moments that acknowledge LA's resilience and our commitment to community," he says. "One of the big themes of the show this year, and this was set pre-fires, is about collaboration and community. So we're bringing that theme into moments of celebrating Los Angeles as our home."
But it won't be an entirely somber affair with O'Brien, known for hilariously bizarre and wacky bits, allowed to do his thing. And the theme of "collaboration," Kramer adds, "dovetails nicely with our awards and how we're presenting them." Yes, that means the Fab Five presenting structure—with five presenters giving tributes to each nominee—will be back, but in a slightly different form. The gimmick will not be used for the acting categories, a decision Kramer says that was made months ago—prior to the controversy surrounding Emilia Pérez star Karla Sofía Gascón's racist tweets, which sent prognosticators into a tailspin last month.
"Fab Five moments give us an opportunity to have colleagues who have either worked on a film with you or who have been your mentor or who have been connected to you in some way talk about your work," Kramer says. And for fans of the old school Oscar clips where the most dramatic moments from each performance are played? "You'll see a lot of beautiful clips throughout the night," Kramer teases.
The classic Oscars fans aren't the ones Kramer has to impress, however. It's the younger generation. Again, he sees cinephiles all around him. "There's much more access to great movies," he says. "This is something we don't talk about enough. We're creating new generations of movie lovers, and and our show should reflect that."
