Oscars 2021 early predictions: Nomadland, Mank and Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom to vie for top prizes
- The academy loves movies about Hollywood, giving Mank’s David Fincher a near-lock on best director and Amanda Seyfried a big shout for best supporting actress
- Viola Davis and the late Chadwick Boseman could garner the main acting prizes for Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom. Coming-of-age drama Minari is the Oscars dark horse
In the grand scheme of things, who will win big at this year’s Academy Awards may not be the most crucial subject. But in a time of disruption, with the coronavirus pandemic delaying movie releases, shutting down productions and closing cinemas, there is something comforting about the impending return of Hollywood’s annual bout of backslapping, however frivolous it may seem.
Already, Covid-19 has forced the 93rd Oscars ceremony to move from late February to April 25 – the latest date in the calendar since the event was first broadcast on television in 1953. The qualifying date for movies has been extended by two months, meaning any film released in the United States between January 1, 2020 and February 28, 2021 is eligible for awards.
For the first time, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has also allowed streaming titles to qualify, even if they don’t play in movie theatres.
How the Oscars will unfold in April is a tantalising prospect. Will there be a live, socially distanced ceremony? The academy has explored the option of an in-person event, though surely this would mean a drastically reduced number of guests in the usually heaving 3,400-seater Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.
The very thought of A-listers like Meryl Streep and Brad Pitt sitting in the front row wearing masks is a strange one – but entirely fitting for the times we live in.
Nominations will be announced on March 15. Among this year’s crop of Oscar candidates, quirky movies usually elbowed to the sides by the might of the Hollywood studios’ marketing budgets could stand a chance.