And the Oscar goes to…

93rd Academy Awards

By Tharishi Hewavithanagamage

The biggest night in the entertainment calendar, the 93rd annual Academy Awards was held on Sunday and it looked quite different this year. The ceremony was held as an in-person event split between the Dolby Theater in Hollywood and Union Station in Los Angeles. The unusual set up focused on the bare essentials due to the coronavirus pandemic, which made the event feel more cozy and relaxed.

The Oscars this year had the most diverse slate of nominations with many historical firsts. Since the Academy has leaned towards improving diversity and inclusion, seventy women received a total 76 nominations, a record for a given year. Filmmakers, actors and actresses of Asian descent and persons of color also received the spotlight in this year’s nominations. ‘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, and the late Chadwick Boseman earned a posthumous nomination in the same category. Filmmakers Lee Isaac Chung and Chloé Zhao made history as the first time two Asian filmmakers have been nominated in the Best Director category in the same year. Two women were nominated for best director, Chloé Zhao and Emerald Fennell, making it the first time more than one woman had been nominated in this category in a single year. ‘Judas and the Black Messiah’ is the first movie with an all-Black producing team to be nominated for best picture.

The glamorous night was filled with more history-making moments as the winners ascended the stage. Starting with Chloé Zhao who became the second woman to win the award for best director and the first woman of Asian descent. She was also the first woman to ever receive four nominations in a single year.

‘Minari’ costar Youn Yuh-Jung won best supporting actress, making her the first Korean to ever win and be nominated for an acting Oscar. Daniel Kaluuya won his first Oscar for best supporting actor. Chloé Zhao’s ‘Nomadland’ nabbed three Oscars overall, while Mank, The Father, Judas and the Black Messiah, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, Soul and Sound of Metal won two awards each.

Perhaps the most surprising and upsetting for many was Anthony Hopkins winning the award for best actor over the late Chadwick Boseman. Anthony Hopkins became the oldest person to receive an Oscar at age 83.

Once again Netflix proved itself to be a rising leader in the filmmaking industry as it nabbed more awards than any other studio. The full list of winners are as follows;

Best director –

Chloé Zhao, ‘Nomadland’

Best picture –

‘Nomadland’

Best actress in a leading role –

Frances McDormand, ‘Nomadland’

Best actor in a leading role –

Anthony Hopkins, ‘The Father’

Best actress in a supporting role –

Yuh-Jung Youn, ‘Minari’

Best actor in a supporting role –

Daniel Kaluuya, ‘Judas and the Black Messiah’

Best animated feature film –

‘Soul’

Best documentary –

‘My Octopus Teacher’

Best documentary short –

‘Colette’

Best international feature film –

‘Another Round’

Best sound –

‘Sound of Metal’

Best production design –

‘Mank’

Best film editing –

‘Sound of Metal’

Best cinematography –

‘Mank’

Best visual effects –

‘Tenet’

Best costume design –

‘Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom’

Best original score –

‘Soul’

Best adapted screenplay –

‘The Father’

Best original screenplay –

‘Promising Young Woman’

Best animated short film –

‘If Anything Happens I Love You’

Best live-action short film –

‘Two Distant Strangers’

Best makeup and hairstyling –

‘Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom’

Best original song –

Fight For You, ‘Judas and the Black Messiah’

Jean Hersholt humanitarian award

– Tyler Perry