The delayed Academy Awards ceremony in April will be an in-person event that will air live from multiple locations, organisers say.

Despite the coronavirus pandemic that has caused havoc in the entertainment industry, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences said it was “determined to present an Oscars like none other, while prioritising the public health and safety of all those who will participate”.

“To create the in-person show our global audience wants to see, while adapting to the requirements of the pandemic, the ceremony will broadcast live from multiple locations, including the landmark Dolby Theatre,” a spokesperson said on Thursday (Australian time).

Hollywood’s Dolby Theatre has been the Oscars’ show venue for several years.

The Dolby Theatre will have share the limelight for Oscars 2021. Photo: Getty

But, on Tuesday California topped New York as the US state with the most coronavirus deaths – and the Los Angeles area has been particularly badly hit.

The academy moved the 2021 Oscar ceremony, the highest awards in the movie industry, from February 28 to April 25 because of the coronavirus pandemic.

It followed other award shows in recent months, which have delayed ceremonies and replaced their usual gatherings with pre-recorded appearances or virtual events.

In January, the Grammy Awards ceremony was postponed until March, just three weeks before the scheduled date.

On February 28, the delayed Golden Globes ceremony will be held in both Los Angeles and New York, with nominees tuning in from locations around the world.

Nominations for the 2021 Oscars – the 93rd outing of the Academy Awards – will be announced on March 15. No host has yet been announced.

Spike Lee’s Da 5 Bloods is already on several Oscars shortlists. Photo: IMDB

But shortlists for nine awards categories have been announced, with Soul, Mank and Da 5 Bloods among the films in the running.

Mank, David Fincher’s black-and-white ode to old Hollywood, has made shortlists for make-up and hairstyling, original score and visual effects.

Spike Lee’s Da 5 Bloods, another film considered likely to be a major Oscars contender, is also in the running for original score, while Disney’s animated feel-good movie Soul made that shortlist and the visual effects one.

The documentary feature category includes 15 films. Crip Camp, from the Obamas’ Higher Ground Productions, makes the cut, alongside other acclaimed entries such as Dick Johnson Is Dead, All In: The Fight for Democracy, The Painter And The Thief and Time.

-with AAP