This morning, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) revealed the nominees for the 2021 Academy Awards. Priyanka Chopra and Nick Jonas announced the nominees virtually in a live telecast. Now in its 93rd year, the annual awards show honors cinematic achievements in the film industry.
Following its epic showing at last month’s Golden Globes Awards, Netflix came out strong yet again, dominating the slate with top-tier nominations for Mank, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, The Trial of the Chicago 7, and Hillbilly Elegy. In fact, David Fincher’s historical drama leads the way with 10 nominations that include Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, and Best Supporting Actress.
Other favorites include Chloe Zhao’s Nomadland, Shaka King’s Judas and the Black Messiah, Darius Marder’s Sound of Metal, Florian Zeller’s The Father, Emerald Fennell’s Promising Young Woman, and, yes, Lee Isaac Chung’s Minari. After being relegated to solely International Film at the Golden Globes, Minari was vindicated by the Academy, nabbing nominations for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor for Steven Yeun, Best Supporting Actress for Yuh-Jung Youn, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Score.
Elsewhere, Chadwick Boseman was posthumously nominated for Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, Maria Bakalova secured a Best Supporting Actress nom for Borat Subsequent Moviefilm, Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross received two Best Original Score nominations for Soul and Mank, and Thomas Vinterberg snuck into the Best Director field for Another Round.
Altogether, it’s a noticeably progressive shift from the mostly white field of nominees in 2020 with plenty of diversity across the board. The fact that two female filmmakers are nominated for Best Director (Zhao, Fennell) — not to mention, the many nominations for female writers in both Screenplay categories — is admittedly a step up for the Academy. Historically speaking, Zhao is the first Chinese-American woman to be nominated for Best Director, while Fennell marks the first female filmmaker to be nominated for a feature directorial debut.
In terms of snubs, Jack Fincher’s screenplay for Mank was curiously left out of its sweep, Regina King was passed over for Best Director for One Night in Miami…, and Spike Lee’s Da 5 Bloods was virtually ignored save for Original Score. Those who campaigned hard for Delroy Lindo will no doubt be very disappointed this morning for the veteran actor.
The full list of nominees can be found below as they are announced. Winners will be unveiled during a live gala at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, California on Sunday, April 25th, 2021, two months later than originally planned due to the COVID pandemic. Stay tuned to Consequence in the month ahead for more coverage.
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 Director:
Thomas Vinterberg, Another Round
Lee Isaac Chung, Minari
David Fincher, Mank
Chloé Zhao, Nomadland
Emerald Fennell, Promising Young Woman
Best Actor:
Riz Ahmed, Sound of Metal
Chadwick Boseman, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
Anthony Hopkins, The Father
Gary Oldman, Mank
Steven Yeun, Minari
Best Actress:
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 Supporting Actor:
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 Supporting Actress:
Maria Bakalova, Borat Subsequent Moviefilm
Glenn Close, Hillbilly Elegy
Olivia Colman, The Father
Amanda Seyfried, Mank
Yuh-Jung Youn, Minari
Best Original Screenplay:
Judas and the Black Messiah, Will Berson and Shaka King
Minari, Lee Isaac Chung
Promising Young Woman, Emerald Fennell
Sound of Metal, Darius Marder, Abraham Marder
The Trial of the Chicago 7, Aaron Sorkin
Best Adapted Screenplay:
Borat Subsequent Moviefilm, Sacha Baron Cohen, Anthony Hines, Dan Swimer, Peter Baynham, Erica Rivinoja, Dan Mazer, Jena Friedman, Lee Kern & Nina Pedrad
The Father, Florian Zeller and Christopher Hampton
Nomadland, Chloé Zhao
One Night in Miami …, Kemp Powers
The White Tiger, Ramin Bahrani
Best International Feature Film:
Another Round
Better Days
Collective
The Man Who Sold His Skin
Quo Vadis, Aida?
Best Documentary Feature Film:
Collective
Crip Camp
The Mole Agent
My Octupus Teacher
Time
Best Documentary Short:
Colette
A Concerto Is a Conversation
Do Not Split
Hunger Ward
A Love Song for Natasha
Best Animated Feature Film:
Onward
Over the Moon
A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon
Soul
Wolfwalkers
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 Original Score:
Da 5 Bloods
Mank
Minari
News of the World
Soul
Best Original Song:
“Fight For You” by H.E.R., Judas and the Black Messiah
“Hear My Voice” by Celeste, The Trail of the Chicago 7
“Husavik” by Molly Sandén and Will Ferrell, Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga
“Io Si (Seen)” by Diane Warren, Laura Pausini, and Niccolò Agliardi, The Life Ahead
“Speak Now” by Leslie Odom Jr., One Night in Miami
Best Production Design:
The Father
Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
Mank
News of the World
Tenet
Best Cinematography:
Judas and the Black Messiah, Sean Bobbitt
Mank, Erik Messerschmidt
News of the World, Dariusz Wolski
Nomadland, Joshua James Richards
The Trial of the Chicago 7, Phedon Papamichael
Best Costume Design:
Emma
Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
Mank
Mulan
Pinnochio
Best Film Editing:
The Father, Yorgos Lamprinos
Nomadland, Chloé Zhao
Promising Young Woman, Frédéric Thoraval
Sound of Metal, Mikkel E. G. Nielsen
The Trial of the Chicago 7, Alan Baumgarten
Best Sound:
Greyhound
Mank
News of the World
Soul
Sound of Metal
Best Visual Effects:
Love and Monsters
The Midnight Sky
Mulan
The One and Only Ivan
Tenet
Best Makeup and Hairstyling:
Emma
Hillbilly Elegy
Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
Mank
Pinnochio
