2021 Oscars

Mia Costales | News Editor

May 4, 2021

After almost a two month delay due to Covid-19, the 93rd Academy Awards have been long-anticipated and of course, with every award season celebration, there comes controversy.

The ceremony was held in person, however it was split between the Dolby Theater in Hollywood and Union Station in downtown Los Angeles. Attendees were able to get a small glimpse back into pre-covid life as they sat in close proximity without face masks (all attendees were required to be vaccinated as well). Though this wasn’t the only obvious difference from past award ceremonies. The Oscars always end on the biggest award of the night, Best Picture, and this year’s winner being Nomadland. However, the Best Picture category was followed by two more categories this year. Best Actor was presented last, as actor Chadwick Boseman was expected to win a posthumous award yet controversy spurred as presenter Joaquin Phoenix opened his envelope to reveal that nominee Anthony Hopkins had actually won Best Actor for his performance in The Father. This moment confirmed that the academy does not actually know the winners beforehand, and made for an awkward end to the night as most assumed Boseman was the predetermined winner.

Along with controversy, there were many positive takeaways this awards season, most notably the diversity among the nominees and winners. 70 women were recognized throughout the 23 categories and nine people of color were nominated for acting. Chloé Zhao’s win for best director was a definite highlight of the night as she made history for being the first woman of color and second woman overall to win in her category. Yuh-Jung Youn also stole hearts as she won best supporting actress for her role in Minari, making her the first Korean actor to win an Oscar.

“I think The Oscars this year was sort of a milestone for certain communities,” senior Kaya Moran said. “There was more inclusivity and diverse groups among the crowd of award winners.”

Mia Neal and Jamika Wilson also made history for being the first Black women to win an Oscar for best makeup and hairstyling in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom. And Daniel Kaluuya turned heads with his acceptance speech for best supporting actor.

While this year’s award season has surely been unique, the 93rd Oscars will be one for the books. “Obviously it was a different year with covid but having part of the ceremony in Union Station was something I certainly didn’t expect,” junior Kristian Rorvik said. “As for the awards part, there were five really strong candidates in almost every category unlike most previous years so I don’t think you can really argue who won what.”

A complete list of the Oscars winners:

Best Actor in a Leading Role: Anthony Hopkins (The Father)

Best Actress in a Leading Role: Frances McDormand (Nomadland)

Best Picture: Nomadland (Frances McDormand, Peter Spears, Mollye Asher, Dan Janvey and Chloé Zhao, producers)

Best Original Song: “Fight for You,” (Judas and the Black Messiah). Music by H.E.R. and Dernst Emile II; Lyric by H.E.R. and Tiara Thomas

Best Original Score: Soul, Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross, Jon Batiste

Best Film Editing: Sound of Metal, Mikkel E.G. Nielsen

Best Cinematography: Mank, Erik Messerschmidt

Best Production Design: Mank, Production Design: Donald Graham Burt; Set Decoration: Jan Pascale

Best Actress in a Supporting Role: Yuh-Jung Youn (Minari)

Best Visual Effects: Tenet, Andrew Jackson, David Lee, Andrew Lockley and Scott Fisher

Best Documentary Feature: My Octopus Teacher, Pippa Ehrlich, James Reed and Craig Foster

Best Documentary Short Subject: Colette, Anthony Giacchino and Alice Doyard

Best Animated Feature Film: Soul (Pixar)

Best Animated Short Film: If Anything Happens I Love You (Netflix) 

Best Live-Action Short Film: Two Distant Strangers

Best Sound: Sound of Metal, Nicolas Becker, Jaime Baksht, Michelle Couttolenc, Carlos Cortés and Phillip Bladh

Best Director: Chloé Zhao (Nomadland)

Best Costume Design: Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, Ann Roth

Best Makeup and Hairstyling: Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, Sergio Lopez-Rivera, Mia Neal, Jamika Wilson

Best Actor in a Supporting Role: Daniel Kaluuya (Judas and the Black Messiah)

Best International Feature Film: Another Round (Denmark)

Best Adapted Screenplay: The Father, Christopher Hampton and Florian Zeller

Best Original Screenplay: Promising Young Woman, Emerald Fennell