The nominations for the 93rd Academy Awards were announced by Nick Jonas and Priyanka Chopra Jonas on March 15, delivering one of the more diverse lists of Oscar hopefuls we’ve ever seen.
In a historic turn, two female filmmakers were nominated in the Best Director category — Chloé Zhao for Nomadland and Emerald Fennell for Promising Young Woman. Zhao and Fennell bring the total of women nominated in the category to only seven, with The Hurt Locker’s Kathryn Bigelow being the only female director to take home the statuette in 2010.
Additionally, non-white performers also saw higher representation, with Daniel Kaluuya, LaKeith Stanfield, Youn Yuh-jung, Viola Davis, Andra Day, Riz Ahmed, Steven Yeun and the late Chadwick Boseman all earning nominations across the acting categories.
When it comes to the films nominated for Best Picture, The Father, Judas and the Black Messiah, Mank, Minari, Nomadland, Promising Young Woman, Sound of Metal and The Trial of the Chicago 7 all received recognition — showcasing a diverse range of voices and the stories they have to tell.
So, with the nominations now announced and the actual awards ceremony approaching on April 25, it’s time to get down to the task of getting to know the films that will be going head to head on the entertainment industry’s most anticipated night.
You can catch Mank and The Trial of the Chicago 7 on Netflix, Sound of Metal on Amazon Prime Video and The Father in selected cinemas.
If you’re a NSW resident and would like to use your Dine and Discover vouchers to bone up on your Oscars knowledge, then you can catch the following films at Hoyts Cinemas.
Minari
Minari is not only nominated for Best Picture but also Best Original Screenplay, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actress and Best Original Musical Score.
The film stars Steven Yeun — who is the first Asian American to be nominated in the lead actor category — as Jacob, a Korean father who moves his family to a rural Arkansas farm during the 1980s.
The family struggle to find roots in their new home, yet are dedicated to pursuing the ever enticing “American Dream” in order to ensure their children have a more promising future.
Minari is a commentary on the experience of immigrants in America and is inspired by filmmaker Lee Isaac Chung’s own childhood memories.
73-year-old Youn Yuh-jung also won a nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her portrayal of eccentric grandmother Soonja in the film, making her the first South Korean actress to hold such a distinction.
Minari is now showing at Hoyts Cinemas. Purchase tickets: here.
Story continues beneath video…
Promising Young Woman
Emerald Fennell’s Promising Young Woman is shaping up to be one of the most celebrated, and important, films of the #MeToo era.
The film stars Carey Mulligan — who is up for the Best Actress nod — as Cassie, an almost 30-year-old former medical student who, for all intents and purposes, seems to have no direction in life. Beneath the surface, however, Cassie has a unique way of dealing with her ongoing trauma: by going to clubs and pretending to be black-out-drunk in the hopes of being “helped” home by a man, only to reveal that she is in fact stone-cold sober in the event that the aforementioned guy shifts from helpful to predatory.
In this way, Cassie not only teaches her targets about the lessons of consent but avenges her med school friend Nina, whose story we learn as the film progresses.
Promising Young Woman is now showing at Hoyts Cinemas. Purchase tickets: here.
Story continues beneath the video…
Nomadland
Chloé Zhao’s stunning adaptation of Jessica Bruder’s 2017 book Nomadland: Surviving America in the Twenty-First Century, has already racked up a slew of award nominations and wins, taking home both the Golden Globe and Critics Choice Award for Best Film.
The beautifully crafted film stars Oscar Winner (and 2021 nominee) Frances McDormand as Fern — a woman who has lost everything in the global financial crisis and now spends her days traversing America in her van, acquiring work where and whenever she can.
McDormand stars opposite real-life nomads in this ode to simplicity and anti-capitalism with impeccable performances across the board.
Nomadland is a favourite to take home the Best Picture gong at the 93rd Academy Awards, and once you see it, you’ll know exactly why.
Nomadland is now showing at Hoyts Cinemas. Purchase tickets: here.
Story continues beneath video…
Judas and the Black Messiah
Judas and the Black Messiah is a historical dramatisation of the betrayal and assassination of Fred Hampton, who was chairman of the Illinois Black Panther Party in the 1960s
Oscar nominee Lakeith Stanfield stars as FBI informant William O’Neal, who infiltrates the Illinois Black Panther Party, tasked with keeping tabs on Hampton (played by Oscar nominee Daniel Kaluuya) as he was considered a radical threat by the Bureau. Hampton was just 21 years old when he was assassinated.
The film explores the themes of racism, inequality and police brutality in Civil Rights-era America, which are of course equally — and tragically — relevant today.
Kaluuya has already earned a Golden Globe for his performance as Hampton, with the film as a whole being revered by critics and commercial audiences alike.
Judas and the Black Messiah is now showing at Hoyts Cinemas. Purchase tickets: here.
Story continues beneath the video…
Read more stories from The Latch and subscribe to our email newsletter.