2020 has been a wild one, but you can’t count out the Oscars for bringing in some last second chaos. I guess that would be the closest thing to normal it has felt since the before times. I personally wasn’t a fan of the decision to push the ceremony all the way to April since it will result in the same kind of favoritism to recent prestige releases as opposed to properly reckoning with the all the films that managed to get a release during the year, which would have resulted in some more interesting nominations than what we would eventually get. It’s also made putting my Favorite Films of 2020 list together a bit of a hassle.
Anyway, the nominees for the 93rd Academy Awards have finally been announced. Here they are:
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 Directing
Thomas Vinterberg, Another Round
David Fincher, Mank
Lee Isaac Chung, Minari
Chloe Zhao, Nomadland
Emerald Fennell, Promising Young Woman
Best Actress in a Leading Role
Viola Davis, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
Andra Day, 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 Original Screenplay
Judas and the Black Messiah
Minari
Promising Young Woman
Sound of Metal
The Trial of the Chicago 7
Best Adapted Screenplay
Borat Subsequent Moviefilm
The Father
Nomadland
One Night in Miami…
The White Tiger
Best Cinematography
Judas and the Black Messiah
Mank
News of the World
Nomadland
The Trial of the Chicago 7
Best Film Editing
The Father
Nomadland
Promising Young Woman
Sound of Metal
The Trial of the Chicago 7
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 International Feature Film
Another Round
Better Days
Collective
The Man Who Sold His Skin
Quo Vadis, Aida?
Best Documentary Feature
Collective
Crip Camp
The Mole Agent
My Octopus Teacher
Time
Best Documentary Short Subject
Colette
A Concerto Is a Conversation
Do Not Split
Hunger Ward
A Love Song for Latasha
Best Original Score
Da 5 Bloods
Mank
Minari
News of the World
Soul
Best Original Song
“Fight For You,” Judas and the Black Messiah
“Hear My Voice,” The Trial of the Chicago 7
“Husavik,” Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga
“Io Si (Seen),” The Life Ahead
“Speak Now,” One Night in Miami…
Best Sound
Greyhound
Mank
News of the World
Soul
Sound of Metal
Best Costume Design
Emma
Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
Mank
Mulan
Pinocchio
Best Makeup and Hairstyling
Emma
Hillbilly Elegy
Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
Mank
Pinocchio
Best Production Design
The Father
Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
Mank
News of the World
Tenet
Best Visual Effects
Love and Monsters
The Midnight Sky
Mulan
The One and Only Ivan
Tenet
As usual, there aren’t many big surprises here, but plenty of folks I felt were more deserved of being nominated. Like I said, probably the result of the Academy letting some of the prestige films released in the first couple months of 2021 to be counted. I feel like most of these have been called through numerous predictions in the last couple weeks with very few wild cards. Glenn Close being nominated for an Oscar and a Razzie for the same role is pretty hilarious, not sure if that’s ever happened before. One minor surprise is Lakeith Stanfield for Supporting since his name hasn’t popped up that much in Oscar talk, and when it was, it was usually for Lead Actor. And I suppose Andra Day for her good work in the otherwise not good The United States vs. Billie Holiday. Thomas Vinterberg being nominated for Best Director is one hell of a pleasant surprise. Honestly, the biggest shock for me is the International Film category, which had three films (Better Days, Quo Vadis, Aida?, and The Man Who Sold His Skin) that were nominated that I have not seen any major campaigning for, unlike other potentials like A Sun, La Llorona, I’m No Longer Here, and Two Of Us. And of course, no Delroy Lindo is very disappointing.
So yeah, aside from a couple nominations, it all feels like business as usual, which is a pretty frustrating, but I’m used to it at this point. I keep my expectations rock bottom for stuff like this, and my feelings on the Oscars are pretty complicated as is. But I’m not gonna get into that right now, it’s way too early for that. Let me know what you think of these nominations? Did it meet your expectations, are there some surprises, and are there some folks who you think were snubbed? Feel free to discuss in the comments!
The Oscars will air Sunday, April 25, 2021, 8:00 PM EST on ABC.