Oscars 2021 winners! A historic night for diversity and an octopus from South Africa

It’s a stat that’s almost mindboggling. In the 92 years of the existence prior to this year’s Oscars, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences had only ever nominated five women – all white – as Best Director – only one of them – Kathryn Bigelow for Hurt Locker – had ever won. Which is why it’s such a gigantic triumph that Chloe Zhao has now made history as the first Asian female filmmaker to ever be nominated and also winning Best Director for her critically acclaimed drama Nomadland. A film that also went on take home Best Picture as well as scoring a Best Leading Actress statue for Frances McDormand.

Nomadland wasn’t the only film to make some history though. Korean-American drama Minari may have only one of the six nominations it was up for, but it was one for the record books as Yuh-Jung Youn took home the prize for Best Supporting Actress. The 63-year old veteran of Korean TV and film becomes only the second Asian actress ever to take home that statue, the last being Miyoshi Umeki in 1958’s Sayonara.

In terms of other diverse nominees, going into the ceremony there appeared to be two sure things: Daniel Kaluuya for Best Supporting Actor in Judas and the Black Messiah, and the late Chadwick Boseman for Best Actor in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom. And as predicted Kaluuya took the Best Supporting Actor award (despite a bizarre judgement call from the Academy to see him competing in the same category against the film’s de facto lead in Lakeith Stanfield) which gives him a clean sweep of the awards season as he also won at the Golden Globes, Screen Actors Guild Awards, the Critics Choice Awards, and the BAFTA Film Awards. He’s the only actor this year that managed to pull of that feat.

Things were definitely not so predictable in the Best Actor category though as Boseman shockingly lost out, with the award instead going to Anthony Hopkins for his role in The Father. This is the veteran’s second Oscar win, his first being for Best Actor in 1991’s Silence of the Lambs as cannibal serial killer Hannibal Lecter (a role that barely had 20 minutes of screen time but was so iconic).

In terms of the other categories, a big win for South Africa came from under the sea as emotional Netflix documentary My Octopus Teacher took home the statue for Best Documentary Feature Film. It was Netflix’s first South African documentary. Other notable winners saw Pixar’s Soul take home the gold twice for Best Animated Feature Film and Best Original Score, while Sound of Metal picked won two of its six nominations with Best Sound and Best Editing.

Check out full list below with winners in bold red:

Best Picture

• The Father
• Judas and the Black Messiah
• Mank
• Minari
• Nomadland
• Promising Young Woman
• Sound of Metal
• The Trial of the Chicago 7

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
• Carey Mulligan – Promising Young Woman

Best Actor in a Leading Role

• Riz Ahmed – Sound of Metal
• Chadwick Boseman – Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
• 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
• Leslie Odom Jr – One Night in Miami…
• Paul Raci – Sound of Metal
• Lakeith Stanfield – Judas and the Black Messiah

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

Best Director

• Thomas Vinterberg – Another Round
• David Fincher – Mank
• Lee Isaac Chung – Minari
• Chloé Zhao – Nomadland
• Emerald Fennell – Promising Young Woman

Best Writing (Original Screenplay)

• Judas and the Black Messiah
• Minari
• Promising Young Woman
• Sound of Metal
• The Trial of the Chicago 7

Best Writing (Adapted Screenplay)

• Borat Subsequent Moviefilm
• The Father
• Nomadland
• One Night in Miami…
• The White Tiger

Best International Feature Film

• Another Round
• Better Days
• Collective
• The Man Who Sold His Skin
• Quo Vadis, Aida?

Best Animated Feature Film

• Onward
• Over the Moon
• A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon
• Soul
• Wolfwalkers

Best Film Editing

• The Father
• Nomadland
• Promising Young Woman
• Sound of Metal
• The Trial of the Chicago 7

Best Documentary Feature

• Collective
• Crip Camp
• The Mole Agent
• My Octopus Teacher
• Time

Best Cinematography

• Judas and the Black Messiah
• Mank
• News of the World
• Nomadland
• The Trial of the Chicago 7

Best Sound

• Greyhound
• Mank
• News of the World
• Soul
• Sound of Metal

Best Visual Effects

• Love and Monsters
• The Midnight Sky
• Mulan
• The One and Only Ivan
• Tenet

Best Music (Original Score)

• Da 5 Bloods
• Mank
• Minari
• News of the World
• Soul

Best Music (Original Song)

• “Fight for You” – Judas and the Black Messiah
• “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 Production Design

• The Father
• Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
• Mank
• News of the World
• Tenet

Best Costume Design

• Emma
• Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
• Mank
• Mulan
• Pinnochio

Best Makeup and Hairstyling

• Emma
• Hillbilly Elegy
• Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
• Mank
• Pinocchio
• Viola Davis in Netflix film ‘Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom’

Best Animated Short Film

• Burrow
• Genius Loci
• If Anything Happens I Love You
• Opera
• Yes-People

Best Live Action Short Film

• Feeling Through
• The Letter Room
• The Present
• Two Distant Strangers
• White Eye

Documentary Short Subject

• Colette
• A Concerto Is a Conversation
• Do Not Split
• Hunger Ward
• A Love Song for Latasha

Last Updated: April 26, 2021