Academy Awards 2021: The Oscars kick off an in-person ceremony, making a pitch for the movies
The 93rd Academy Awards kicked off an in-person ceremony with a long tracking shot, serving notice that the Oscars — presented under Covid protocols — would be constructed like a movie.
The evening began with screenplay awards that went a pair of Europeans: “Promising Young Woman’s” Emerald Fennell — for a story that dealt with sexual assault — and “The Father’s” Florian Zeller, both of whom also directed those films. (The latter accepted remotely, but most nominees were in Los Angeles.)
Daniel Kaluuya earned his first Oscar for “Judas and the Black Messiah,” playing Black Panther Party leader Fred Hampton, in a movie that released simultaneously in theaters and on HBO Max. (Both Warner Bros. and the streaming service are, like CNN, a unit of WarnerMedia.)
“Another Round,” the Danish movie, received the prize for international feature film. Director Thomas Vinterberg delivered an emotional speech about the death of his 19-year-old daughter Ida in a car accident during the making of the film.
After the nominations made history on a variety of fronts, the awards did early on as well, with the makeup/hairstyling team from Netflix’s “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” becoming the first Black winners in that category. The Netflix film also received the prize for costume design.
Regina King opened the ceremony, referencing the recent verdict in the Derek Chauvin trial, and saying that she wouldn’t apologize for injecting politics into the show. As the mother of a Black son, she said, “I know the fear that so many live with, and no amount of fame or fortune changes that.”
Due to the pandemic, this year’s Oscars extended the awards calendar by two months and made what was described as a one-time-only exception allowing movies that premiered via streaming and weren’t released theatrically to compete. But those same factors also resulted in several movies that might have contended for awards being delayed beyond the eligibility window, hoping for a more traditional release — and greater box-office revenue — once theaters reopen.
As a result, five of the eight best-picture contenders premiered exclusively or simultaneously on streaming services, with Netflix amassing 35 nominations, more than any other distribution entity.
Award-show ratings have been in steep decline during the pandemic, and after record-low results for Emmys, Golden Globes and Grammys, the Oscars — which already hit a low point in 2020, when “Parasite” made best-picture history — are expected to be no exception. The focus has been, rather, on putting on the best possible show, and hoping for better in 2022.
The pre-show included a video urging people to return to theaters as the movie industry heads into the summer, using the hash tag #TheBigScreenIsBack.
