We knew coming into the 93rd Academy Awards that this would be an unprecedented year. Not only was it the most extended Oscars season in history, but it took place during a time when shared theatrical experiences were nonexistent. This year’s Oscars made history. Chloé Zhao became the first female director of color to win Best Directing. Only the second female to ever win the honor. Her film, “Nomadland,” also won Best Picture. Youn Yuh-Jung became the first Korean actress to win an acting award. But then we also watched the wheels come off an Oscars ceremony that is already hurting to keep the limited viewers it does have.
Taking place at Union Station in Hollywood was a nice change of scenery. I wished they would change the location more often. I’m sick of seeing them in the same giant theater year in and year out. The choice to use cinematic cameras instead of “live television” cameras made a world of difference. It felt more cinematic and memorable. However, moving the Original Song performances to the pre-show (which I missed because I wasn’t aware) was a colossal misstep. Including the Humanitarian Awards and devoting so much time to them was exhausting, even as an Oscars fan. If I were a new Oscars viewer, I would have signed off. The lack of clips from the movies that were nominated felt wrong as well.
Then, the rearranging of the categories was a new low. Not only did it take the wind out of Chloé Zhao winning the big awards of the night, but it also left crickets chirping when it was all said and done. Frances McDormand winning Best Leading Actress felt like a whiff when you had Viola Davis and Andra Day, two actresses of color, worthy of winning that award. The producers had to have assumed Chadwick Boseman would win Best Leading Actor because they saved that category for last. After a rushed In Memoriam to an oddly upbeat song, it was a moment it felt like we needed. Having seen Boseman’s widow accept awards on his behalf all season, I had braced for her eventual speech that would bring me to tears. Instead, Anthony Hopkins, who wasn’t even in attendance, won. And then the show was over. Even if Riz Ahmed had one, we could have gotten a heartfelt speech about signing, and a man of color would be accepting an award. Instead, we got an old white man winning another award for a film that I won’t even be ranking in my top 20 of the year.
What started as such a promising, much-needed return to normalcy devolved into what I can only describe as the Cinderella carriage that stayed out past midnight.
BEST motion PICTURE of the year
“Nomadland”
Produced by Frances McDormand, Peter Spears, Mollye Asher, Dan Janvey and Chloé Zhao
Searchlight Pictures
NOMINEES
“The Father”
Sony Pictures Classics
“Judas and the Black Messiah”
Warner Bros. Pictures
“Mank”
Netflix
“Minari”
A24
“Promising Young Woman”
Focus Features
“Sound Of Metal”
Amazon Studios
“The Trial of the Chicago 7”
Netflix
best PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE
Anthony Hopkins
“The Father”
Sony Pictures Classics
NOMINEES
Riz Ahmed
“Sound Of Metal”
Chadwick Boseman
“Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom”
Gary Oldman
“Mank”
Steven Yeun
“Minari”
best PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE
Frances McDormand
“Nomadland”
Searchlight Pictures
NOMINEES
Viola Davis
“Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom”
Andra Day
“The United States vs. Billie Holiday”
Vanessa Kirby
“Pieces of a Woman”
Carey Mulligan
“Promising Young Woman”
best PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Daniel Kaluuya
“Judas and the Black Messiah”
Warner Bros. Pictures
NOMINEES
Sacha Baron Cohen
“The Trial of the Chicago 7”
Leslie Odom Jr.
“One Night In Miami”
Paul Raci
“Sound Of Metal”
Lakeith Stanfield
“Judas and the Black Messiah”
best PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Youn Yuh-Jung
“Minari”
A24
NOMINEES
Maria Bakalova
“Borat Subsequent Moviefilm”
Glenn Close
“Hillbilly Elegy”
Olivia Colman
“The Father”
Amanda Seyfried
“Mank”
best ANIMATED FEATURE FILM
“Soul”
Produced by Pete Docter and Dana Murray
Walt Disney Pictures + Pixar Animation
NOMINEES
“Onward
Pixar Animation
“Over The Moon”
Netflix
“A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon”
StudioCanal UK
“Wolfwalkers”
GKIDS
best achievement in CINEMATOGRAPHY
“Mank”
Cinematography by Erik Messerschmidt
Netflix
NOMINEES
“Judas And The Black Messiah”
Sean Bobbitt
“News of the World”
Dariusz Wolski
“Nomadland”
Joshua James Richards
“The Trial of the Chicago 7”
Phedon Papamichael
best achievement in COSTUME DESIGN
“Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom”
Written by Ann Roth
Netflix
NOMINEES
“Emma.”
Alexandra Byrne
“Mank”
Trish Summerville
“Mulan”
Bina Daigeler
“Pinocchio”
Massimo Cantini Parrini
best achievement in DIRECTING
Chloé Zhao
“Nomadland”
Searchlight Pictures
NOMINEES
Lee Isaac Chung
“Minari”
Emerald Fennell
“Promising Young Woman”
David Fincher
“Mank”
Thomas Vinterberg
“Another Round”
best DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
“My Octopus Teacher”
Produced by Pippa Ehrlich, James Reed and Craig Foster
Netflix
NOMINEES
“Collective”
Magnolia Pictures
“Crip Camp”
Netflix
“The Mole Agent”
Dogwoof
“Time”
Amazon Studios
best DOCUMENTARY SHORT subject
“Colette”
Produced by Anthony Giacchino and Alice Doyard
The Guardian
NOMINEES
“A Concerto Is a Conversation”
“Do Not Split”
“Hunger Ward”
“A Love Song for Latasha”
best achievement in FILM EDITING
“Sound Of Metal”
Edited by Mikkel E.G. Nielsen
Amazon Studios
NOMINEES
“The Father”
Yorgos Lamprinos
“Nomadland”
Chloé Zhao
“Promising Young Woman”
Frédéric Thoraval
“The Trial of the Chicago 7”
Alan Baumgarten
best INTERNATIONAL feature FILM
“Another Round”
Denmark
Zentropa
NOMINEES
“Better Days”
Hong Kong
“Collective”
Romania
“The Man Who Sold His Skin”
Tunisia
“Quo Vadis, Aida?”
Bosnia and Herzegovina
best achievement in MAKEUP and HAIRSTYLING
“Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom”
Makeup and Hair by Sergio Lopez-Rivera, Mia Neal and Jamika Wilson
Netflix
NOMINEES
“Emma”
“Hillbilly Elegy”
“Mank”
“Pinocchio”
Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures
(Original Score)
“Soul”
Composed by Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross, & Jon Batiste
Walt Disney Pictures + Pixar Animation
NOMINEES
“Da 5 Bloods”
Terence Blanchard
“Mank”
Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross
“Minari”
Emile Mosseri
“News Of The World”
James Newton Howard
Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures
(Original SONG)
“Fight For You” from “Judas and the Black Messiah”
Written by H.E.R., Dernst Emile II, Tiara Thomas
Performed by H.E.R.
Warner Bros. Pictures
NOMINEES
“Husavik” from “Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga”
Music and Lyrics by Savan Kotecha, Rickard Goransson & Fat Max Gsus
Performed by Molly Sandén and Will Ferrell
“Io Sì (Seen)” from “The Life Ahead”
Written by Diane Warren
Performed by Laura Pausini
“Speak Now” from “One Night In Miami”
Written by Leslie Odom, Jr. and Sam Ashworth
Performed by Leslie Odom Jr.
“Hear My Voice” from “The Trial of the Chicago 7”
Music by Daniel Pemberton
Lyrics by Daniel Pemberton and Celeste Waite
Performed by Celeste
best achievement in PRODUCTION DESIGN
“Mank”
Production Design by Donald Graham Burt
Set Decoration by Jan Pascale
Netflix
NOMINEES
“The Father”
Peter Francis
“Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom”
Mark Ricker
“News Of The World”
David Crank
“Tenet”
Nathan Crowley
best animated short film
“If Anything Happens I Love You”
Produced by Will McCormack and Michael Govier
Netflix
NOMINEES
“Burrow”
Pixar Animation
“Genius Loci”
Kazak Productions
“Opera”
Beasts and Natives Alike
“Yes-People”
MagnetFilm
best live action short film
“Two Distant Strangers”
Produced by Travon Free and Martin Desmond Roe
NOMINEES
“Feeling Through”
“The Letter Room”
“The Present”
“White Eye”
best SOUND
“Sound Of Metal”
Sound by Nicolas Becker, Jaime Baksht, Michellee Couttolenc, Carlos Cortés and Phillip Bladh
Amazon Studios
NOMINEES
“Greyhound”
“Mank”
“News of the World”
“Soul”
best achievement in VISUAL EFFECTS
“Tenet”
Visual Effects by Andrew Jackson, David Lee, Andrew Lockley and Scott Fisher
Warner Bros. Pictures
NOMINEES
“Love and Monsters”
“The Midnight Sky”
“Mulan”
“The One and Only Ivan”
best ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
“The Father”
Written by Christopher Hampton and Florian Zeller
Sony Pictures Classics
NOMINEES
“Borat Subsequent Moviefilm”
Sacha Baron Cohen & Anthony Hines & Dan Swimer & Peter Baynham & Erica Rivinoja & Dan Mazer & Jena Friedman & Lee Kern
“Nomadland”
Chloé Zhao
“One Night In Miami”
Kemp Powers
“The White Tiger”
Ramin Bahrani
best ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
“Promising Young Woman”
Written by Emerald Fennell
Focus Features
NOMINEES
“Judas and the Black Messiah”
Will Berson & Shaka King
“Minari”
Lee Isaac Chung
“Sound Of Metal”
Darius and Alexander Marder
“The Trial of the Chicago 7”
Aaron Sorkin
