Oscars predictions 2021: where to watch on Netflix, HBO, Hulu and Amazon – Promising Young Woman, Nomadland, One Night in Miami and Pieces of a Woman among the Academy Awards contenders streaming now

Jan 30 , 2021

Frances McDormand, Zendaya and Chadwick Boseman may all be honoured with an Oscar at this year’s Academy Awards. Photos: @frances.mcdormand/Instagram; AFP

Nominations for the Covid-19-delayed 2021 Oscars will be announced in March – but most of this year’s top picks are already streaming on a screen near you

Will Zendaya face Carey Mulligan for best actress, and will Black Panther’s Chadwick Boseman be recognised for his last Netflix film?

Like almost everything else since early last year, Hollywood’s awards season has been turned upside down by the pandemic: festivals have gone digital, Q&As are now Zooms, and red carpets have mostly gone the way of the dinosaurs. Awards shows, too, have been perpetually pushed back or reimagined in light of Covid-19 safety concerns.

But (touch wood) the Academy Awards are sticking to their rescheduled April 25 ceremony, extending the eligibility deadline to February 28 and – for the first time – welcoming streaming films. At this point, we’ve seen almost all of the contenders, and early awards from critics have given us a taste of who’s ahead as we await major precursors such as the Golden Globes and Screen Actors Guild Awards.

Here’s what you need to know about the current state of the race:

Nomadland is the one to beat for best picture

Frances McDormand in the film Nomadland. Photo: 20th Century Studios/Searchlight Pictures

There’s still a long road ahead to Oscar night, but Nomadland is firmly in the driver’s seat. The quiet character drama coasted through the autumn festival circuit and end-of-year critics’ prizes, taking best film at the Gotham and National Society of Film Critics awards this month. But coming out of a tumultuous year for politics and social justice, will Nomadland be too introspective for voters looking to make a statement with their best picture winner? Watch out for courtroom crowd-pleaser The Trial of the Chicago 7 as a zeitgeist-capturing spoiler.

Where to watch: Nomadland premieres February 19 on Hulu; The Trial of the Chicago 7 is streaming on Netflix.

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