OSCARS 2021: NOMADLAND WINS BIG, TRIBUTES POUR IN FOR IRRFAN, BHANU ATHAIYA
Many created history as the 93rd Oscars became the talk of the town in troubled times
Chloe Zhao made history at the 93rd Academy Awards as the first woman of colour, and only the second woman after Kathryn Bigelow, to win an Oscar for Best Director for Nomadland.“This is for anyone who has the faith and the courage to hold onto the goodness in themselves...” she said in her acceptance speech. The film won awards for the Best Picture and saw Frances McDormand win her third Oscar, for Actress in a leading role.
Anthony Hopkins, who wasn’t present at the ceremony, won the Oscar for Best Actor in a lead role for The Father, which also picked up the statuette for the Best Adapted Screenplay.
Daniel Kaluuya continued his award run, taking the trophy home for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in Judas And The Black Messiah, which also picked up the Oscar for Original Song, Fight For You.
The awards also paid tributes to late actor Irrfan and costume designer Bhanu Athaiya, along with actors Sean Connery and Chadwick Boseman. The latter’s movie Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, also won awards in the Make-up and Hairstyling, as well as Costume Design categories. The award ceremony comes close on the heels of the conviction of police officer Derek Chauvin for killing George Floyd. Travon Free, co-director of the live-action short film winner Two Perfect Strangers, wore a suit jacket with the names of those killed by the police.
The pandemic forced a rethink of the ceremony, which kept in mind all safety protocols. The attendees rotated in and out according to a carefully planned itinerary, creating a semblance of normalcy with a live event.