Oscar Nominations Announced!

Yesterday morning Priyanka Chopra and Nick Jonas announced the Oscar nominations for the Year of the Pandemic. Much like this past year, the nominations this year were historic in so many ways. Unlike previous years, this year there was much more representation by people of color and women in the various categories. Let’s dive in, shall we?

Gary Oldman and Amanda Seyfried in *Mank*

David Fincher’s ode to old Hollywood, Mank, received the most nominations of the year. Its 10 nominations include Best Picture, Best Actor (Gary Oldman), and Best Supporting Actress (Amanda Seyfried). Frontrunner Nomadland received the second most nominations with seven. Director Chloe Zhao became the first Asian American female to be nominated for Best Director. This is also the first time that two female directors were nominated for Best Director. Along with Chloe Zhao, Emerald Fennell was nominated for directing Promising Young Woman.

LaKetih Stanfield in *Judas and the Black Messiah*

There were a few surprises in the nominations. The Father picked up nominations for Best Actor (Anthony Hopkins) and Best Supporting Actress (Olivia Coleman), as expected. It was also nominated for Best Picture, which was not expected. However, the biggest surprises came in the Best Supporting Actor category. While I suspected Paul Raci would receive a nomination for his performance as the Vietnam vet running a rehab for deaf people in Sound of Metal, but he had not received a Golden Globe or SAG nomination. The other big surprise in that category was LaKeith Stanfield receiving a nomination for his role in Judas and the Black Messiah.

Minari received six nominations including Best Picture. Actor Steven Yeun received a nomination for Best Actor, making him the first Asian American actor to be nominated in that category. Yuh-Jung Youn received a nomination in the Best Supporting Actress category. Her nominations effectively blocked Jodie Foster from being nominated for her role in The Mauritanian. This leaves the race wide open since Foster is the actress who won the Golden Globe in that category.

Another surprise snub was that Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom did not receive a nomination for Best Picture. The film did receive nominations for Viola Davis (Best Actress) and Chadwick Boseman (Best Actor). Davis’s nomination makes her both the most nominated African American actress and the first African American actress to ever be nominated in the Best Actress category twice. She was previously nominated in this category for her role in The Help. She was also nominated in the Supporting Actress category for her work in Doubt, and she won an Oscar in the Supporting Actress category for her role in Fences.

While this has been a strange year, the nominees look pretty good. I can’t wait to see how it all pans out! The Oscars will air on Sunday, April 25 on ABC.

-Ariadne Ansbro

Full list of nominees below:

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

Andra Day in *United States vs Billie Holiday*

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

Daniel Kaluuya in *Judas and the Black Messiah*

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