The nominations for the Academy Awards are out. There are quite a few surprises and snubs. And then there are history makers.
The prestigious ceremony is already two months late from its schedule because of the coronavirus pandemic, but that is understandable. Like everything else, the entertainment industry had to improvise its plans according to the new norms.
The 93rd Academy Awards are scheduled to be held on April 25, 2021. The only information revealed to the public is that this time around, the Oscars will be held at two different locations jointly. The venues are supposedly Dolby Theater in Hollywood and Union Station Downtown.
One of the biggest surprises this year is that two female directors have got the nod in the best director of the year category. In the history of Academy Awards, only five women have ever been nominated in this category. This is the first time that more than one female film director has made the cut.
The Chinese filmmaker Chloe’ Zhao has been nominated for “Nomadland”. She became the first Chinese woman to be nominated in the best film director category. The second lady in this category is Emerald Fennell for her debut film “Promising Young Woman”. Along with them, Lee Isaac Chung for “Minari” and David Fincher for “Mank” also got the nod.
Chung’s “Minari” also got nominated for the best original screenplay as it is his own story of growing up in Arkansas as a son of Korean immigrants.
As expected, Netflix dominated the nominations. The last year has been difficult due to the pandemic and most people were left with no option but to watch Netflix 24/7 during the lockdown. It earned as many as 35 nominations. Disney followed up with 15 nominations.
This year, the films that made the cut were released on online streaming services like Netflix and Amazon. Contenders for best film “Mank”, “One Night in Miami”, “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” and “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm” were all released on Amazon and Netflix. “Nomadland” and “Judas and Black Messiah” that were produced under the banner of Warner Bros. also released on streaming services.
For the lead actor, Riz Ahmed (Sound of Metal), Chadwick Boseman (Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom), and Steven Yeun (Minari) will be competing with each other along with Anthony Hopkins (The Father) and Gary Oldman (Mank). Ahmed makes history as the first Muslim male actor to be nominated in the best actor category.
For best actress, Viola Davis (Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom), Andra Day (The United States vs. Billie Holiday), and Carey Mulligan (Promising Young Woman) will face off against each other along with Frances McDormand (Nomadland) and Vanessa Kirby (Pieces of a woman).
The Academy Award committee has finally decided to come out of the allegations of being overwhelmingly white and male-dominated. There were nine out of 20 nominations for colored people. This clearly depicts how diverse the entertainment world has become.
