Oscars 2021: Predictions of the Nominations

Hollywood’s biggest night, the Academy Awards, informally known as the Oscars, is a prestigious awards ceremony that recognizes artistic and technical merit in the film industry. Initially scheduled for February, the awards ceremony was delayed until April due to coronavirus restrictions. Although the global pandemic presents some challenges, the organizers hope to hold an in-person ceremony as they have done years prior (the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles, where the ceremony traditionally occurs, has 3,400 seats, and the organizers are still considering the number of people that will be allowed inside the theater).  

The predicted nominations for the 2021 Oscars are:      

Best Picture:

1. Nomadland

2. The Trial of the Chicago 7

3. Mank

4. Da 5 Bloods

5. Judahs and the Black Messiah

6. Soul

7. Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom

8. Minari

9. One Night In Miami

10.  The Father

According to critics and media, Nomadland won four awards at this year’s National Society of Film Critics Awards, including this category, best cinematography, best director, and best actress. Thus it is most likely that it will win this category. However, David Fincher’s Mank is full of glamour; for many others, it is the early frontrunner to lead in the Oscars race. A one-third major contender in the race is, One Night In Miami, with the film being tapped to compete in several major categories.  

Best Director:

1. Chloe Zao — Nomadland

2. Aaron Sorkin — The Trial Of The Chicago 7

3. Regina King- One Night In Miami

4. Shaka King — Judas And The Black Messiah

5. David Fincher — Mank

Chloe Zao is the frontrunner in this category as she has won various awards for best directing on her film Nomadland and her movie has swept prizes from award shows during this past year. However, Regina King’s leading of her film One Night In Miami was fantastic, as her adeptness at capturing the compelling performances while keeping the film cinematic and powerful was striking. Known for his ability to direct influential movies, David Fincher is the third contender in this race for leading Mank. This is one of his many nominations throughout the years in this category.

Best Actress:

1. Andra Day — The United States vs. Billie Holiday

2. Viola Davis — Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom

3. Frances McDormand — Nomadland

4. Carey Mulligan — Promising Young Woman

5. Vanessa Kirby —Pieces of a Woman

Viola Davis is taking the lead in this category for her performance in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom. If she grabs the award for best actress, she will make history the most nominated black actress in Oscar history. However, Carey Mulligan is the second leading contender for this category for her performance in Promising Young Woman. In my opinion, she played such a powerful character that could give her an Oscar. The third runner-up is Frances McDormand, for her acting in Nomadland. She has received rave reviews for her performance in Nomadland, as she connects to material in a way not many actors can express. 

   Best Actor:

1. Chadwick Boseman — Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom

1. Anthony Hopkins — The Father

2. Delroy Lindo — Da 5 Bloods

3. Gary Oldman — Mank

4. Riz Ahmed — Sound of Metal

The leading contender in the Best Actor category is Riz Ahmed, on his Sound Of Metal performance. Enthusiasm for his performance increased as general audiences started seeing it. The second leading contender is Anthony Hopkins for his performance in The Father. Hopkins is a strong Best Actor contender for his poignant portrayal of a struggling man with dementia. The third leading contender, aside from Ahmed and Hopkins, is Delroy Lindo for his Da 5 Bloods performance. Lindo captivated a fantastic performance as Paul, a Trump-loving Vietnam Vet, leaving critics clamoring for more.

Best Supporting Actress:

1. Amanda Seyfried — Mank 

2. Olivia Colman — The Father

3. Ellen Burstyn — Pieces of a Woman

4. Maria Bakalova — Borat: Subsequent Movie film

5. Youn Yuh-Jung — Minari

This category has many talented groups of actresses. The leading contender in the Best Supporting Actress category is Maria Bakalova for her performance in Borat: Subsequent Movie Film. She was a frequent target of praise when the film premiered last month. The second leading contender in this category is Amanda Seyfried for her performance in Mank. As the most prominent female in David Fincher’s biopic about writer Herman Mankowitz’s time in Hollywood, she has emerged as a compelling choice for Best Supporting Actress. The third leading contender is Youn Yuh-Jung for her performance in Minari. If nominated, she would become the first Korean nominee for an acting Oscar in academy history. Currently, her scene-stealing performance in Minari is building Oscar Buzz.

    Best Supporting Actor:

1. Daniel Kaluuya — Judas and the Black Messiah

2. Sacha Baron Cohen — The Trial of the Chicago 7

3. Leslie Odom, Jr. — One Night in Miami

4. David Strathairn — Nomadland

5. Paul Raci — Sound of Metal

The leading contender in the Best Supporting Actor category is Leslie Odom Jr. for his One Night In Miami performance. According to GoldDerby, twenty-six experts have Odom pegged to receive his first Oscar nomination for the performance. Aside from his acting performance in the movie, he could also land a nomination for Best Original Song for his singing performance. The second leading contender in the race is Sacha Baron Cohen for his performance in The Trial Of The Chicago 7. Like Odom, Cohen plays a real-life figure and engages in a number of philosophical debates and the best way to affect progressive change in the face of racism, fascism, and authoritarianism. The fact that Cohen has multiple award-worthy contenders on his resume this season likely dings his front-runner potential. The third leading contender is Daniel Kaluuya, on his performance in Judahs and the Black Messiah. Kaluuya has the structural Oscar bones of an acting winner, as he would make history becoming the youngest Black actor to receive two acting nominations if nominated. 

      Best Original Screenplay:

1. The Trial of the Chicago 7

2. Da 5 Bloods

3. Mank

4. Minari

5. Promising Young Woman

The leading contender for the Best Original Screenplay category is Promising Young Woman, written by Emerald Fennell. The film is about Cassandra, a medical school drop who is cunning, smart—and secretly living a double life by night, which is given a chance to right her wrongs after meeting someone. Fennell’s biggest competition is Minari, however, which was written by Lee Isaac Chung. Minari is about a Korean-American family who moves to an Arkansas farm to search for their own American dream. The third leading contender is Mank, written by David Fincher. The film is set in 1930s Hollywood and set through a screenwriter’s eyes, Herman J. Mankiewicz, who races to finish his film Citizen Kane.

 Best Adapted Screenplay:

1. Nomadland

2. The Father

3. Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom

4. First Cow

5. One Night in Miami 

The first leading contender in the Best Adapted Screenplay category is, Nomadland, written by Chloe Zao. Nomadland has gotten much praise overall; consequently, it is predicted to score a nomination. The story follows a widowed woman who lost everything from the Great Recession who embarks on a journey through the American West, living as a van-dwelling modern-day nomad. However, Nomadland’s biggest competition is One Night In Miami, written by Kemp Powers. One Night In Miamiis a fictional account set in 1964 that depicts a night where four cultural icons—Malcolm X, Muhammad Ali, Jim Brown, and Sam Cooke—gathered and reflected on the state of their lives. The third leading contender is Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, written by Ruben Santiago-Hudson. Based on Pulitzer Prize-winner August Wilson's play, the film is set in Chicago in 1927 and explores the challenges of being in the music industry as a Black person during the time period.

---

Khushi Desai is a Junior in a Community College. She is about to transfer to a four-year university to earn her bachelor's degree in Psychology.

---