RIYADH: Al-Thaqafiah has been granted exclusive rights in the Middle East and North Africa to broadcast the 96th Academy Awards ceremony, the Saudi TV channel announced on Friday.
The ceremony will air at 11:30 p.m. Saudi time on Sunday, March 10.
Al-Thaqafiah’s exclusive broadcasting rights for the 2024 Academy Awards will allow audiences across the MENA region to enjoy a unique experience, the channel said in a press release.
Cinema fans will also be able to watch the event on MBC’s streaming platform Shahid.
This year’s Oscars, organized by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, will be held at the renowned Dolby Theater in Hollywood, Los Angeles, to recognize excellence in the film industry of 2023 and celebrate achievements in acting, music, design and directing.
American TV presenter and comedian Jimmy Kimmel is set to host the festival for the fourth time, with Raj Kapoor, Katy Mullan, Molly McNearney and Rob Paine producing the awards event.
Leading the awards lineup is Christopher Nolan’s critically acclaimed “Oppenheimer,” which received 13 nominations for best picture, a nomination for Christopher Nolan as best director, and three acting nods.
Second to “Oppenheimer” is “Poor Things,” which received 11 nominations, followed by “Killers of the Flower Moon,” with 10 nominations.
Nominations for best picture are rounded out by other notable productions, including “American Fiction,” “Anatomy of a Fall,” “Barbie,” “The Holdovers,” “Maestro,” “Past Lives,” and “The Zone of Interest.”
This year’s Academy Awards ceremony will see Lily Gladstone nominated for best actress for the movie “Killers of the Flower Moon,” making her the first Native American actress to be nominated for an Academy Award.
The audiences are also braced for the best director result, with 81-year-old director Martin Scorsese nominated for the 10th time for this award — this time for his movie “Killer of the Flower Moon.”
Music composer John Williams is likely to scoop yet another award as the 91-year-old artist has so far been nominated for an Oscar 54 times.
The 96th Academy Awards ceremony will also feature the nomination of three movie productions by female directors.
