Oscars 2021: And the nominees are...

Photo courtesy of Time Out

The nominations for the 93rd Academy Awards were officially announced on Wednesday, March 10 and this year’s diverse group of nominees marked several milestones. Netflix’s “Mank” rallied an impressive ten nominations in a challenging year for the film industry. In addition to “Mank,” “The Trial of the Chicago 7,” “Sound of Metal,”“Nomadland,” “Minari,” “Judas and the Black Messiah” and “The Father” were all nominated for best picture. This year marked the first time in the academy’s history that two females were nominated for best director, with Chloe Zhao of “Nomadland” being the first woman of color to be nominated. 

“I’m grateful to have gone on this journey with our talented team of filmmakers,” said Zhao in an interview with the New York Times, “and to have met so many wonderful people who generously shared their stories with us.” In addition to Zhao, directors Emerald Fennell for “Promising Young Woman,” Thomas Vinterberg for “Another Round,”  David Fincher for “Mank” and Lee Isaac Chung for “Minari” were all nominated for best director.  

This year also marked the first time that Asian American and Muslim actors were nominated for best actor, with Steven Yeun being nominated for “Minari” and Riz Ahmed for “Sound of Metal.” In addition to these nominations, actors Gary Oldman for “Mank,” Anthony Hopkins for “The Father” and in a posthumous release, Chadwick Boseman for “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” were all nominated  for best actor.

For best actress, the nominations were what most would expect, with Viola Davis for “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom,” Andra Day in “The United States v. Billie Holiday,” Vanessa Kirby for “Pieces of a Woman,” Frances McDormand for “Nomadland” and Carey Mulligan in “Promising Young Woman” all being nominated.

Unsurprisingly, the majority of films nominated this year were from a major streaming platform. Following the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the majority of film releases were either pushed back to a later date when theaters would reopen or moved to a digital platform. Netflix dominated with an astounding 35 nominations in total. As a result of the pandemic and the rise in streaming platforms, many are questioning whether the theater industry will survive when watching movies from the comfort of home has become the main form of new entertainment in the last year. Only time will tell. 

The 93rd Academy Awards Ceremony will take place on April 25, almost two months after the initial planned date of Feb. 28. The awards will be held in person at the Los Angeles Union Station. “There will not be an option to Zoom in for the show,” said an official statement from producers Steven Soderbergh, Jesse Collins and Stacey Sher sent to the nominees outlining the plan. “We are going to great lengths to provide a safe and enjoyable evening for all of you in person, as well as for all the millions of film fans around the world, and we feel the virtual thing will diminish those efforts.”

 A complete list of the nominations can be found on the official Academy’s website.