The 2021 Oscar nominations were announced today. Also announced today: The Belcourt will keep its annual Oscar-night festivities going at home with its first-ever virtual rendition of A Red Carpet Evening set for Sunday, April 25. A release says that guests will be able to pick up curated boxes from 3-5 p.m. at the Belcourt’s Red Carpet drive-thru, and that the event will begin with a pre-show. Tickets can be purchased via the beloved local nonprofit cinema's site — and as always, sales directly benefit the theater.
“Every year we try to put a unique spin on the Belcourt’s Red Carpet Evening, but this year we can honestly say this is a once-in-lifetime event,” says Amos Gott, who along with Holly Hoffman co-chairs the party. “For one night only, you can enjoy the Belcourt’s annual event at home with gourmet treats and interactive opportunities. And with no dress code!”
The evening will also reportedly include an online auction, quizzes about film and a chat room, the likes of which made the online edition of 12 Hours of Terror feel extra special.
As far as the nominations themselves are concerned, there's at least one local connection in the mix: Nashville songwriter Sam Ashworth found himself in good company with a nomination in the Best Original Song category for “Speak Now,” a collaboration with double nominee Leslie Odom Jr. for the film One Night in Miami. That film, which centers on a fictional interaction between Malcolm X, Muhammad Ali, Jim Brown and Sam Cooke, also netted Odom a nomination for Best Supporting Actor, as well as Best Adapted Screenplay for Kemp Powers (who also wrote the play).
A previous Grammy nominee, Ashworth has in the past collaborated with H.E.R. (who's nominated for her song "Fight for You" from Judas and the Black Messiah), The Civil Wars, The Lone Bellow and Dierks Bentley. He’s the son of Grammy-winning producer Charlie Peacock and the husband of fellow songwriter and performer Ruby Amanfu.
The Academy this year has shifted its focus to smaller films released during the pandemic. The list of nominees is largely free from the typical studio behemoths, with more independent films earning the spotlight. That said, David Fincher’s Mank — a black-and-white inside-baseball talkie about Citizen Kane screenwriter Herman J. Mankiewicz — led the field with 10 nominations and is certainly a typical Oscar player.
Second in the field with six nominations apiece are the Chloé Zhao-directed Americana drama Nomadland, the Black Panther epic Judas and the Black Messiah, the tender family drama Minari, the Riz Ahmed-led 2019 Toronto fave Sound of Metal, Aaron Sorkin’s dramatization of The Trial of the Chicago 7 and an adaptation of the successful play The Father.
Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, a fiery August Wilson adaptation featuring Chadwick Boseman’s final performance, and Emerald Fennell’s Carey Mulligan-starring Promising Young Woman were just behind that group with five nominations each. The former film is curiously absent from the Best Picture field.
The Academy has managed to nominate a somewhat diverse field this year. The Best Director category features two women nominees for the first time with Zhao and Fennell. Zhao is considered the frontrunner, and would become the second-ever woman to win the coveted award. Only five women had previously been nominated in the category’s 92-year history. Steven Yeun became the first Asian-American to be nominated for Best Actor for his role in Minari, and Ahmed became the first Muslim to be nominated in the same category. Minari’s Youn Yuh-jung also became the first Korean actor nominated for an acting award (Best Supporting Actress). Each primary category (Picture, Director, all acting fields, both screenwriting fields) had at least one person of color nominated. (Some may recall that 2015’s Academy Awards field was met with #OscarsSoWhite backlash when all 20 acting nominees were white.)
How might next month’s awards go? Pencil in Nomadland for Best Picture and Best Director; it’s been the critical and awards darling so far and could resonate with voters. The Trial of the Chicago 7, a very safe standard Oscar contender, will give it a fight, though. The late, great Boseman will be a shoo-in for Best Actor for his final, searing performance in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, while Best Actress should be a three-way contest for Nomadland’s Frances McDormand, Ma Rainey’s Viola Davis and Promising Young Woman’s Mulligan.
The Best Supporting Actor category pits Judas’ Daniel Kaluuya (nominated for Get Out just a few years ago) and his commanding role as slain Black Panther leader Fred Hampton against longtime comedic actor Sacha Baron Cohen’s take on Abbie Hoffman in Chicago 7. As for Best Supporting Actress, consider Maria Bakalova’s breakout turn as Borat’s daughter Tutar in October’s explosive Borat Subsequent Moviefilm. Bakalova caught shock instantly for her stomach-churning, headline-making encounter with Trump sycophant Rudy Giuliani in the film. Her bona-fide comedic chops could make her first actor to win an Oscar for an outright comedic performance in years. Right now, she’s the favorite.
