2021 Oscars Awards Best Director nominees: who are the candidates?
Bringing all the skills and presence of the actors together to end a perfect cut can be a tough ask, but five worthy directors are hoping for the ultimate recognition.
The Oscars are here and there are five very talented film makers who will have their fingers crossed and their nerves jangling! Tonight we will witness a very different awards ceremony - here's what to expect - but that does not change the fact that there'll be numerous famed golden prizes up for grabs, including that for Best Director.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences began voting for nominations in late December, and they were tallied up by PricewaterhouseCoopers before being formally announced on 15 March, delayed a couple of months due to the covid-19 pandemic. Let's check out who's in with a chance of winning...
Oscars 2021: the nominations for Best Director
Chloe Zhao - "Nomadland"
David Fincher - "Mank"
Emerald Fennell - "Promising Young Woman"
Lee Isaac Chung - "Minari"
Thomas Vinterberg - "Another Round"
Oscars 2021: the other main awards
BEST PICTURE
"Nomadland"
"The Trial of the Chicago 7"
"Mank"
"Promising Young Woman"
"Minari"
"The Father"
"Sound of Metal""
"Judas and the Black Messiah"
BEST ACTOR
Chadwick Boseman - "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom"
Anthony Hopkins - "The Father"
Riz Ahmed - "Sound of Metal"
Gary Oldman - "Mank"
Steven Yeun - "Minari"
BEST ACTRESS
Carey Mulligan - "Promising Young Woman"
Frances McDormand - "Nomadland"
Vanessa Kirby - "Pieces of a Woman"
Viola Davis - "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom"
Andra Day - "The United States vs. Billie Holiday"
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Daniel Kaluuya - "Judas and the Black Messiah"
Sacha Baron Cohen - "The Trial of the Chicago 7"
Leslie Odom Jr. - "One Night in Miami"
Paul Raci - "Sound of Metal"
LaKeith Stanfield - "Judas and the Black Messiah"
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Olivia Colman - "The Father"
Amanda Seyfried - "Mank"
Glenn Close - "Hillbilly Elegy"
Youn Yuh-jung - "Minari"
Maria Bakalova - "Borat Subsequent Moviefilm"
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
"Judas and the Black Messiah"
"Minari"
"Promising Young Woman"
"Sound of Metal"
"The Trial of the Chicago 7"
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
"Borat Subsequent Moviefilm"
"The Father"
"Nomadland"
"One Night in Miami"
"The White Tiger"
BEST ANIMATED FEATURE FILM
"Onward"
"Over the Moon"
"A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon"
"Soul"
"Wolfwalkers"
BEST DOCUMENTARY FILM
"Collective"
"Crip Camp"
"The Mole Agent"
"My Octopus Teacher"
"Time"
BEST INTERNATIONAL FEATURE FILM
"Another Round" (Denmark)
"Better Days" (Hong Kong)
"Collective" (Romania)
"The Man Who Sold His Skin" (Tunisia)
"Quo Vadis, Aida?" (Bosnia and Herzegovina)
BEST ORIGINAL SONG
"Husavik (My Hometown)," "Eurovision Song Contest"
"Fight for You" - "Judas and the Black Messiah"
"Hear My Voice" - "The Trial of the Chicago 7"
"Io Si (Seen)" -"The Life Ahead"
"Speak Now" - "One Night in Miami"
Oscars: how are nominations decided, anyway?
Each member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) belongs to one of 17 branches; Actors, cinematographers, costume designers, directors, documentary, editors, makeup artists/hairstylists, music, producers, production design, short films/feature animation, sound, visual effects and writers.
Most categories are nominated by the members of the corresponding branch; actors nominate actors, directors nominate directors, and so on. All members can nominate the Best Picture and other catergories have special rules.
Oscars: how are winners decided?
All members can vote in the finals in all Oscar categories. With the exception of the Best Picture, voting members get only one vote per category. Because the field for Best Picture is so big, in 2021 there are eight, the AMPAS uses preferential voting. The members put their choices in order of preference and then when PWC tallies the votes, the votes are weighted. Lacking a resounding preference by the voters, the number one choice doesn’t necessarily win if in the event the number two receives an overwhelming vote from the members.
Once the final tally is done only two PWC partners know the results until the envelopes are opened onstage during the Oscars ceremony.