Oscars 2021 winners: Nomadland wins Best Picture as 93rd Academy Awards break tradition

Nomadland earned top honor Best Picture as the 93rd Academy Awards  broke tradition by not presenting Best Picture last during the ceremony in Los Angeles on Sunday night.

Chloe Zhao and Frances McDormand accepted the award – which in a rather unusual move – was handed out before Best Actor and Actress.

The drama beat out: The Father, Judas and the Black Messiah, Mank, Minari , Promising Young Woman, Sound of Metal, and The Trial of the Chicago 7

Breaking tradition: Nomadland earned top honor Best Picture as the 93rd Academy Awards broke tradition by not presenting Best Picture last during the ceremony in Los Angeles on Sunday night

Youn Yuh-jung became the first ever Korean to win an acting award as she earned Best Actress in a Supporting Role for her role in Minari.

The 73-year-old South Korean actress will surely be one of breakout stars as the event as she delighted with fun acceptance speech which began with her thanking Brad Pitt who presented her with the award.

She said: ‘Oh, Mr. Brad Pitt, it’s so nice to meet you. … Where were you while we were filming in Tulsa? It’s so nice to meet you.’

Historic: Youn Yuh-jung became the first ever Korean to win an acting award as she earned Best Actress in a Supporting Role for her role in Minari at the 93rd Academy Awards in Los Angeles on Sunday night

A24 financed the film with 57-year-old actor Pitt’s company Plan B also producing.

Yuh-jung beat out white the impressive field including: Maria Bakalova for  Borat Subsequent Moviefilm, Glenn Close for Hillbilly Elegy, Olivia Colman for The Father, and Amanda Seyfried for Mank. 

 ‘I cannot believe I’m here. Okay, let me pull myself together. Tremendous thanks to the academy members who voted for me,’ she continued. ‘Thank you to the wonderful Minari family.’  

Sweet: The 73-year-old South Korean actress was overcome with emotion

Sweet: She will surely be one of breakout stars as the event as she delighted with fun acceptance speech which began with her thanking Brad Pitt who presented her with the award

She said: ‘Oh, Mr. Brad Pitt, it’s so nice to meet you. … Where were you while we were filming in Tulsa? It’s so nice to meet you’

Connection: A24 financed the film with 57-year-old actor Pitt’s company Plan B also producing

Cute: Yuh-jung not only got to meet Pitt but they also posed for a snap together in the press room

World famous: People are shown watching a TV screen showing South Korean actress Yuh-jung at the Seoul Railway Station live on Monday

A Korean actor had never been previously nominated for an Academy Award and only one Asian had previously won Best Supporting Actress as Japanese-American actress Miyoshi Umeki won for Sayonara in 1957.

Minari is centered around a Korean family who starts a farm in 1980s Arkansas with Yuh-jung [playing the loving, yet mischievous grandmother Soonja.

Chloe Zhao made history as she became the first woman of color to ever win Best Director. 

If that wasn’t already enough trailblazing, the 39-year-old filmmaker also became the first Chinese woman and second woman to ever win an Oscar for directing.

She beat out a field including: Thomas Vinterberg for Another Round, David Fincher for Mank, Lee Isaac Chung for Minari, and Emerald Fennell for Promising Young Woman.

Trailblazing: Chloe Zhao made history as she became the first woman of color to ever win Best Director at the 93rd Academy Awards in Los Angeles on Sunday night

Goals: If that wasn’t already enough trailblazing, the 39-year-old filmmaker also became the first Chinese woman and second woman to ever win an Oscar for directing

Shining moment: She beat out a field including: Thomas Vinterberg for Another Round, David Fincher for Mank, Lee Isaac Chung for Minari, and Emerald Fennell for Promising Young Woman

She said as she was growing up in China she and her dad would play a game in which they would memorize classic Chinese poems and texts and recite them together including a phrase which means ‘people at birth were inherently good.’

Zhao explained: ‘And those six letters had such a great impact on me when I was a kid. And I still truly believe them today. Even though sometimes it may seem like the opposite is true. But I have always found goodness in the people I met. 

‘Everywhere I went in the world. So this is for anyone who has the faith and the courage to hold on to the goodness in themselves. And to hold on to the goodness in each other. No matter how difficult it is to do that. And this is for you, you inspire me to keep going. Thank you.’

Nomadland – starring Frances McDormand – follows a woman in her sixties who, after losing everything in the Great Recession, embarks on a journey through the American West, living as a van-dwelling modern-day nomad.

Sweet story: She said as she was growing up in China she and her dad would play a game in which they would memorize classic Chinese poems and texts and recite them together including a phrase which means ‘people at birth were inherently good’

Zhao explained: ‘And those six letters had such a great impact on me when I was a kid. And I still truly believe them today. Even though sometimes it may seem like the opposite is true. But I have always found goodness in the people I met’

Icon: Bong Joon-ho, who won the same award for Parasite last year, presented Best Director from South Korea with the help of a translator

Earlier in the night, Daniel Kaluuya was ecstatic as he earned Best Actor in a Supporting Role for his work on Judas And The Black Messiah.

The 32-year-old London native beat out an impressive field including castmate Lakeith Stanfield, Sacha Baron Cohen for  The Trial of the Chicago 7, Leslie Odom, Jr. for One Night in Miami…, and Paul Raci for Sound Of Metal.

Kaluuya could not wait to start celebrating as he said: ‘And I’m going to get back to work Tuesday morning. Because tonight I’m going up. We’re going up, you know what I mean? We’re enjoying ourselves tonight. You got to celebrate life, man. We’re breathing, walking, it’s incredible. 

What a moment: Daniel Kaluuya was ecstatic as he earned Best Actor in a Supporting Role for his work on Judas And The Black Messiah

Impressive: The 32-year-old London native beat out an impressive field including castmate Lakeith Stanfield, Sacha Baron Cohen for The Trial of the Chicago 7, Leslie Odom, Jr. for One Night in Miami…, and Paul Raci for Sound Of Metal

Praise: Kaluuya could not wait to start celebrating as he said: ‘And I’m going to get back to work Tuesday morning. Because tonight I’m going up. We’re going up, you know what I mean? We’re enjoying ourselves tonight. You got to celebrate life, man. We’re breathing, walking, it’s incredible’

‘It’s incredible. My mom, my dad, they had sex. It’s amazing. You understand, I’m here. You know what I mean? I’m so happy to be alive. So I’m going to celebrate tonight. I appreciate everyone in the room, everyone watching at home. You know, peace, love, and onwards. We go again. Appreciate you.’

Daniel’s mother and sister were in attendance as they couldn’t help but react in disbelief as he made mention of his parents getting intimate.

They also covered their faces in shock as his name was announced before he thanked them during his acceptance speech as he said: ‘Thanks to my mum for pouring into me, you gave me everything, you gave me your factory settings so I can stand at my fullest height. 

He joked: ‘It’s incredible. My mom, my dad, they had sex. It’s amazing. You understand, I’m here. You know what I mean? I’m so happy to be alive. So I’m going to celebrate tonight. I appreciate everyone in the room, everyone watching at home. You know, peace, love, and onwards. We go again. Appreciate you’

Oh no: Daniel’s mother and sister were in attendance as they couldn’t help but react in disbelief as he made mention of his parents getting intimate

Support system: Daniel’s mother and sister were in attendance as they covered their face in shock as his name was announced

 Sweet: They also covered their faces in shock as his name was announced before he thanked them during his acceptance speech as he said: ‘Thanks to my mum for pouring into me, you gave me everything, you gave me your factory settings so I can stand at my fullest height’

Leading man: Daniel proudly posed with his trophy in the press room

‘My sister, my niece, my friends and family, everyone I love I’d like to thank my team for incredible support.’

Judas And The Black Messiah tells the story of the betrayal of Illinois Black Panthers chairman Fred Hampton (played by Kaluuya) who was murdered by the FBI.

He thanked the man he portrayed as he said: ‘To Fred Hampton, what a man. How blessed we are to live in a lifetime he existed. Thank you for your light. He was on this earth for 21 years and he found a way to feed kids breakfast, educate kids, give free medical care, against all odds.’  

Earlier in the night, Emerald Fennell took home the first Oscar of the night in the Best Original Screenplay category.

The 35-year-old actress, writer, and director was honored for her work in Promising Young Woman as she was also nominated for Best Director. 

Fennell faced stiff competition including: Judas and the Black Messiah’s Shaka King and Will Berson, Minari’s  Lee Isaac Chung, Sound of Metal’s Darius Marder and Abraham Marder, and The Trial of the Chicago 7’s Aaron Sorkin. 

Incredible: Emerald Fennell took home the first Oscar of the night in the Best Original Screenplay category as the 93rd Academy Awards kicked off in Los Angeles on Sunday night

 Honest: She began her acceptance speech by saying: ‘Oh, my gosh. Oh, they said write a speech’

She earned it: Fennell faced stiff competition including: Judas and the Black Messiah’s Shaka King and Will Berson, Minari’s Lee Isaac Chung, Sound of Metal’s Darius Marder and Abraham Marder, and The Trial of the Chicago 7’s Aaron Sorkin

She began her acceptance speech by saying: ‘Oh, my gosh. Oh, they said write a speech. 

‘And I didn’t, because I just didn’t think this would ever happen. I’m going to be in trouble with Steven Soderbergh. I’m so sorry. I don’t want him to be cross with me. Oh, my god, he’s so heavy and so cold.’

Regina King opened up the show with an epic introduction which found her strolling into the iconic Union Station. 

She addressed the fact that there were no protective face masks that could be seen in the audience as she explained ‘think of this like a movie set.’ 

The event marks the first time Tinseltown’s finest have assembled in over a year, for a three-hour show that co-producer Steven Soderbergh has described as being ‘like a movie.’

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is hosting the delayed ceremony at the historic Union Station in Los Angeles, California where socially distanced movie stars can go mask-free while on-camera or seated in the main show room.

Kicking it off: Regina King opened up the show with an epic introduction which found her strolling into the iconic Union Station

Making it clear: She addressed the fact that there were no protective face masks that could be seen in the audience as she explained ‘think of this like a movie set’

Beautiful in blue: Regina stunned in a light blue gown

Built in 1939, the national historic landmark and its main terminal is 161,000 square feet, creating plenty of room for theatrics on Hollywood’s biggest night. 

During normal times, when COVID restrictions haven’t crimped travel, more than 100,000 people a day walk through its halls.

Comparatively the Dolby Theatre, where the glitzy event is usually held, can only seat around 3,300 people which would have created difficulties in putting on an award show amid the pandemic.

But in the spacious station, believed to be large enough to accommodate social distancing requirements with its soaring main hall featuring windows that are 40-feet high, stars have more room to mingle and maneuver.

Sticking to a ‘No Zoom’ policy unlike other shows that have taken place this awards season, Academy organizers have teased a ‘British hub’ for UK actors who are unable to make it in person, as well as another rumored ‘surprise location.’

Golden: Thomas Vinterberg accepted the International Feature Film award for Another Round

Touching: He dedicated the win to his late daughter

Squad: Jamika Wilson, Sergio Lopez-River, and Mia Neal won The Oscar for Hair And Make-up for Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom

AMazing: Neal and Wilson became the first Black women to win the award

During a year that saw movie theatres closed due to the pandemic, there were eight new films that did manage to impress Academy voters enough to be in contention for Hollywood’s biggest award, the Oscar for Best Picture (last year there were nine nominees in the category.)

While blockbusters may be absent this year, there have been a wide range of movies that have caught the attention of Academy voters, including the lavish Mank, Netflix’s ode to the Golden Age of Hollywood, starring Gary Oldman and Amanda Seyfried.

Another strong contender is Minari, an indie drama about Korean immigrants scraping out a living off the land in rural America, written and directed by Lee Isaac Chung and starring Steven Yeun.

Monochrome madness: Laura Dern looked incredible while presenting 

What a moment: The 54-year-old actress had the honor of revealing the winner of International Feature Film

The eight films in the top category this year are The Father, Judas and the Black Messiah, Mank, Minari, Nomadland, Promising Young Woman, Sound of Metal, and The Trial of the Chicago 7.

It is the first time that two female directors have ever been nominated in the Best Director category, with Chloé Zhao (Nomadland) and Emerald Fennell (Promising Young Woman) both receiving nods. Only five women have ever been nominated in the category before.

An official spokesperson called this year’s event ‘an Oscars like none other, while prioritizing the public health and safety of all those who will participate.’

The Academy and ABC will certainly be hoping that their ambitious plans will drum up more excitement than they have elsewhere during a dismal award seasons, after the virtual Golden Globes plunged to 6.9 million viewers this year – a 64 percent drop from 2020.

93RD ACADEMY AWARDS WINNERS

Best Picture

The Father

Judas and the Black Messiah

Mank

Minari

Nomadland – WINNER

Promising Young Woman

Sound of Metal

The Trial of the Chicago 7

Best Picture: The Trial of the Chicago 7 is one of the eight films nominated

 

Best Actress in a Leading Role

Viola Davis – Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom

Andra Day – The United States vs Billie Holiday

Vanessa Kirby – Pieces of a Woman

Frances McDormand – Nomadland – WINNER

Carey Mulligan – Promising Young Woman

 

Best Actress in a Supporting Role

Maria Bakalova – Borat Subsequent Moviefilm

Glenn Close – Hillbilly Elegy

Olivia Colman – The Father

Amanda Seyfried – Mank

Youn Yuh-jung – Minari – WINNER

Best Actress in a Supporting Role: Olivia Colman is up for her role in The Father

Best Music (Original Score)

Da 5 Bloods

Mank

Minari

News of the World

Soul – WINNER

 

Best Animated Short Film

Burrow

Genius Loci

If Anything Happens I Love You – WINNER

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 – WINNER

Better Days

Collective

The Man Who Sold His Skin

Quo Vadis, Aida?

Best Sound: Greyhound – a war film starring Tom Hanks – is up for the gong 

Best Sound

Greyhound

Mank

News of the World

Soul

Sound of Metal  – WINNER

 

Best Cinematography

Judas and the Black Messiah

Mank – WINNER

News of the World

Nomadland

The Trial of the Chicago 7  

 

Best Music (Original Song)

H.E.R. – Fight for You – Judas and the Black Messiah – WINNER

Hear My Voice – The Trial of the Chicago 7

Husavik – Eurovision Song Contest

Io Si (Seen) – The Life Ahead

Speak Now – One Night in Miami…

Best Makeup and Hairstyling: Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom is vying for the award

 Best Director  

Thomas Vinterberg – Another Round

David Fincher – Mank

Lee Isaac Chung – Minari

Chloé Zhao – Nomadland – WINNER

Emerald Fennell – Promising Young Woman

 

Best Actor in a Leading Role

Riz Ahmed – Sound of Metal

Chadwick Boseman – Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom- WINNER

Anthony Hopkins – The Father

Gary Oldman – Mank

Steven Yeun – Minari 

 

Best Actor in a Supporting Role

Sacha Baron Cohen – The Trial of the Chicago 7

Daniel Kaluuya – Judas and the Black Messiah – WINNER

Leslie Odom, Jr. – One Night in Miami…

Paul Raci – Sound of Metal

Lakeith Stanfield – Judas and the Black Messiah

 

Best Animated Feature Film

Onward

Over the Moon

A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon

Soul – WINNER

Wolfwalkers

Best Animated Feature Film:  A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon is nominated

Best Costume Design

Emma

Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom – WINNER

Mank

Mulan

Pinnochio

 

Best Writing (Adapted Screenplay)

Borat Subsequent Moviefilm

The Father – WINNER

Nomadland

One Night in Miami…

The White Tiger

 

Best Writing (Original Screenplay)

Emerald Fennell – Promising Young Woman – WINNER

Shaka King and Will Berson - Judas and the Black Messiah

Lee Isaac Chung - Minari

Darius Marder and Abraham Marder - Sound of Metal

 Aaron Sorkin - The Trial of the Chicago 7

 

 

Best Documentary Feature

Collective

Crip Camp

The Mole Agent

My Octopus Teacher – WINNER

Time

Best Writing (Original Screenplay): Judas and the Black Messiah is up for the gong

Best Documentary Short Subject

Colette – WINNER

A Concerto Is a Conversation

Do Not Split

Hunger Ward

A Love Song for Latasha

 

Best Film Editing

The Father

Nomadland

Promising Young Woman

Sound of Metal – WINNER

The Trial of the Chicago 7

 

Best Production Design

The Father

Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom

Mank – WINNER

News of the World

Tenet

 

Best Visual Effects

Love and Monsters

The Midnight Sky

Mulan

The One and Only Ivan

Tenet – WINNER

 

Best Makeup and Hairstyling

Emma

Hillbilly Elegy

Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom – WINNER

Mank

Pinocchio