93rd Oscar nominations

By Tharishi Hewavithanagamage

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced the official nominees for the 93rd Oscar Awards a few days ago and it is perhaps the most diverse slate in the history of the Oscars. After the #OscarsSoWhite scandals in 2015 and 2016, the Academy has leaned in on improving diversity and inclusion. This year ,70 women received a total 76 nominations, a record for a given year. Filmmakers, actors and actresses of Asian descent and persons of colour have received the spotlight in this year’s nominations.

Nine actors of colour earned nominations and set a new record for diversity in their categories. ‘Minari’ star Steven Yeun became the first Asian American ever nominated for Best Actor; in the same category, ‘Sound of Metal’ star Riz Ahmed became the first person of Pakistani descent ever nominated for any acting Oscar. With the late Chadwick Boseman earning a posthumous nomination in the same category, it is the first time the Best Actor category is not majority white.

The rest of the diverse slate continues with ‘Minari’ co-star Yuh-Jung Youn securing a supporting actress nomination, making her the first Korean to ever be nominated for an acting Oscar. Actresses Viola Davis and Andra Day are running in the category for Best Actress. Viola Davis is also now the most nominated Black actress in Oscar history. Meanwhile Daniel Kaluuya, Leslie Odom Jr., and LaKeith Stanfield scored nominations in the Best Supporting Actor category.

Beyond the acting categories, two women were nominated for Best Director, Chloé Zhao and Emerald Fennell, making it the first time more than one woman has been nominated in this category in a single year. Chloé Zhao is also the first woman of Asian descent to be nominated in the category. She also earned a total of four nominations, making her the first woman ever to receive so many nominations in a single year. In addition, ‘Minari’ filmmaker Lee Isaac Chung and Chloé Zhao made history as it is the first time two Asian filmmakers have been nominated in the Best Director category in the same year. ‘Judas and the Black Messiah’ is the first movie with an all-Black production team to be nominated for Best Picture.

However, notable actors and actresses like Zendaya, Tom Hanks, Michelle Pfeiffer, Jodie Foster, Regina King and Spike Lee missed out on Oscar nominations. Netflix’s black and white drama ‘Mank,’ directed by David Fincher, scored 10 nominations and is leading the overall field. The biggest, star-studded event will be held on April 25th via a virtual ceremony. The nominees are as follows;

Best Director

Thomas Vinterberg, ‘Another Round’

Emerald Fennell, ‘Promising Young Woman’

David Fincher, ‘Mank’

Lee Isaac Chung, ‘Minari’

Chloé Zhao, ‘Nomadland’

 

Best Picture

‘The Father’

‘Judas and the Black Messiah’

‘Mank’

‘Minari’

‘Nomadland’

‘Promising Young Woman’

‘Sound of Metal’

‘The Trial of the Chicago 7’

 

Best Actress in a leading role

Viola Davis, ‘Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom’

Andra Day, ‘The United States vs. Billie Holiday’

Vanessa Kirby, ‘Pieces of a Woman’

Frances McDormand, ‘Nomadland’

Carey Mulligan, ‘Promising Young Woman’

 

Best Actor in a leading role

Riz Ahmed, ‘Sound of Metal’

Chadwick Boseman, ‘Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom’

Anthony Hopkins, ‘The Father’

Gary Oldman, ‘Mank’

Steven Yeun, ‘Minari’

 

Best Actress in a supporting role

Maria Bakalova, ‘Borat Subsequent Moviefilm’

Glenn Close, ‘Hillbilly Elegy’

Olivia Colman, ‘The Father’

Amanda Seyfried, ‘Mank’

Yuh-Jung Youn, ‘Minari’

 

Best Actor in a supporting role

Sacha Baron Cohen, ‘The Trial of the Chicago 7’

Daniel Kaluuya, ‘Judas and the Black Messiah’

Leslie Odom, Jr, ‘One Night in Miami’

Paul Raci, ‘Sound of Metal’

Lakeith Stanfield, ‘Judas and the Black Messiah’

 

Best Animated Feature Film

‘Onward’

‘Over the Moon’

‘A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon’

‘Soul’

‘Wolfwalkers’

 

Best Documentary

‘Collective’

‘Crip Camp’

‘The Mole Agent’

‘My Octopus Teacher’

‘Time’

 

Best Documentary Short

‘Colette’

‘A Concerto Is a Conversation’

‘Do Not Split’

‘Hunger Ward’

‘A Love Song for Latasha’

 

Best International Feature Film

‘Another Round’

‘Better Days’

‘Collective’

‘The Man Who Sold His Skin’

‘Quo Vadis, Aida?’

 

Best Sound

‘Greyhound’

‘Mank’

‘News of the World’

‘Sound of Metal’

‘Soul’

 

Best Production Design

‘The Father’

‘Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom’

‘Mank’

‘News of the World’

‘Tenet’

 

Best Film Editing

‘The Father’

‘Nomadland’

‘Promising Young Woman’

‘Sound of Metal’

‘The Trial of the Chicago 7’

 

Best Cinematography

‘Judas and the Black Messiah’

‘Mank’

‘News of the World’

‘Nomadland’

‘The Trial of the Chicago 7’

 

Best Visual Effects

‘Love and Monsters’

‘The Midnight Sky’

‘Mulan’

‘The One and Only Ivan’

‘Tenet’

 

Best Costume Design

‘Emma

‘Mank’

‘Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom’

‘Mulan’

‘Pinocchio’

 

Best Original Score

‘Da 5 Bloods’

‘Mank’

‘Minari’

‘News of the World’

‘Soul’

 

Best Adapted Screenplay

‘Borat Subsequent Moviefilm’

‘The Father’

‘Nomadland’

‘One Night in Miami’

‘The White Tiger’

 

Best Original Screenplay

‘Judas and the Black Messiah’

‘Minari’

‘Promising Young Woman’

‘Sound of Metal’

‘The Trial of the Chicago 7’

 

Best Animated Short Film

‘Burrow’

‘Genius Loci’

‘If Anything Happens I Love You’

‘Opera’

‘Yes-People’

 

Best Live-Action Short Film

‘Feeling Through’

‘The Letter Room’

‘The Present’

‘Two Distant Strangers’

‘White Eye’

 

Best Makeup and Hairstyling

‘Emma’

‘Hillbilly Elegy’

‘Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom’

‘Mank’

‘Pinocchio’

 

Best Original Song

Husavik, ‘Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga’

Fight For You, ‘Judas and the Black Messiah’

Io Sì (Seen), ‘The Life Ahead’

Speak Now, ‘One Night in Miami’

Hear My Voice, ‘The Trial of the Chicago 7’