Chloé Zhao has won the Oscar for directing Nomadland, becoming the first woman of color to win the award and the second woman to win (Katheryn Bigelow, was the first). Zhao was also the first woman to get four Oscar nominations in a single year, in the Best Film Editing, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Director and Best Picture categories.
Nomadland became the big winner at the 2021 Oscars, taking home the most number of awards (three) including Best Picture, Best Director (for Chloé Zhao), and Best Actress (Frances McDormand). The 2021 Oscars winners were fairly spread out to be fair, with six films grabbing two prizes apiece: The Father (for Best Actor for Anthony Hopkins and Best Adapted Screenplay), Judas and the Black Messiah (including Best Supporting Actor for Daniel Kaluuya), Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, David Fincher’s old Hollywood drama Mank (including Best Cinematography), Pixar’s Soul (including Best Animated Feature Film), and Amazon’s Sound of Metal (including Best Film Editing and Best Sound).
Amongst studios, Netflix was the leading winner at the 2021 Oscars with seven awards but none of those wins came in any of the traditionally big categories. In fact, it was old guard Disney (five) which ruled that department, thanks to Nomadland picking three of the big four (Picture, Director, Actor and Actress). Warner Bros. (three for Tenet, and Judas and the Black Messiah) was next, with both Sony Pictures (The Father) and Amazon Studios (Sound of Metal) garnering two apiece. Netflix’s Mank had the most nominations (10) but it fizzled out at the end.
2021 Oscars winners — the full list
2021 Oscar for Best Picture
Nomadland — WINNER
The Father
Judas and the Black Messiah
Mank
Minari
Promising Young Woman
Sound of Metal
The Trial of the Chicago 7
2021 Oscar for Best Director
Chloé Zhao, Nomadland — WINNER
Thomas Vinterberg, Another Round
David Fincher, Mank
Lee Isaac Chung, Minari
Emerald Fennell, Promising Young Woman
2021 Oscar for Best Actor
Anthony Hopkins, The Father — WINNER
Riz Ahmed, Sound of Metal
Chadwick Boseman, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
Gary Oldman, Mank
Steven Yeun, Minari
2021 Oscar for Best Actress
Frances McDormand, Nomadland — WINNER
Viola Davis, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
Andra Day, The United States vs. Billie Holiday
Vanessa Kirby, Pieces of a Woman
Carey Mulligan, Promising Young Woman
2021 Oscar for Best Supporting Actor
Daniel Kaluuya, Judas and the Black Messiah — WINNER
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
2021 Oscar for Best Supporting Actress
Yuh-jung Youn, Minari — WINNER
Maria Bakalova, Borat Subsequent Moviefilm
Glenn Close, Hillbilly Elegy
Olivia Colman, The Father
Amanda Seyfried, Mank
2021 Oscar for Best Original Screenplay
Emerald Fennell, Promising Young Woman — WINNER
Will Berson & Shaka King, Judas and the Black Messiah
Lee Isaac Chung, Minari
Darius Marder & Abraham Marder, Sound of Metal
Aaron Sorkin, The Trial of the Chicago 7
2021 Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay
Florian Zeller & Christopher Hampton, The Father — WINNER
Sacha Baron Cohen, Anthony Hines, Dan Swimer, Peter Baynham, Erica Rivinoja, Dan Mazer, Jena Friedman & Lee Kern, Borat Subsequent Moviefilm
Chloé Zhao, Nomadland
Kemp Powers, One Night in Miami…
Ramin Bahrani, The White Tiger
2021 Oscar for Best Animated Feature Film
Soul — WINNER
Onward
Over the Moon
A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon
Wolfwalkers
2021 Oscar for Best International Feature Film
Another Round, Denmark — WINNER
Better Days, Hong Kong
Collective, Romania
The Man Who Sold His Skin, Tunisia
Quo Vadis, Aida?, Bosnia and Herzegovina
2021 Oscar for Best Documentary – Feature
My Octopus Teacher — WINNER
Collective
Crip Camp
The Mole Agent
Time
2021 Oscar for Best Documentary – Short Subject
Colette — WINNER
A Concerto Is a Conversation
Do Not Split
Hunger Ward
A Love Song for Latasha
2021 Oscar for Best Live Action Short Film
Two Distant Strangers — WINNER
Feeling Through
The Letter Room
The Present
White Eye
2021 Oscar for Best Animated Short Film
If Anything Happens I Love You — WINNER
Burrow
Genius Loci
Opera
Yes-People
2021 Oscar for Best Original Score
Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross & Jon Batiste, Soul — WINNER
Terence Blanchard, Da 5 Bloods
Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross, Mank
Emile Mosseri, Minari
James Newton Howard, News of the World
2021 Oscar for Best Original Song
“Fight For You”, Judas and the Black Messiah — WINNER
“Hear My Voice”, The Trial of the Chicago 7
“Husavik”, Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga
“Io Sì (Seen)”, The Life Ahead
“Speak Now”, One Night in Miami…
2021 Oscar for Best Sound
Nicolas Becker, Jamie Baksht, Michelle Couttolence, Carlos Cortes & Phillip Bladh, Sound of Metal — WINNER
Warren Shaw, Michael Minkler, Beau Borders & David Wyman, Greyhound
Ren Klyce, Jeremy Molod, David Parker, Nathan Nance & Drew Kunin, Mank
Oliver Tarney, Mike Prestwood Smith, William Miller & John Pritchett, News of the World
Ren Klyce, Coya Elliott & David Parker, Soul
2021 Oscar for Best Production Design
Mank – Production Design: Donald Graham Burt, Set Decoration: Jan Pascale — WINNER
The Father – Production Design: Peter Francis, Set Decoration: Cathy Featherstone
Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom – Production Design: Mark Ricker, Set Decoration: Karen O’Hara & Diana Stoughton
News of the World – Production Design: David Crank, Set Decoration: Elizabeth Keenan
Tenet – Production Design: Nathan Crowley, Set Decoration: Kathy Lucas
2021 Oscar for Best Cinematography
Erik Messerschmidt, Mank — WINNER
Sean Bobbitt, Judas and the Black Messiah
Dariusz Wolski, News of the World
Joshua James Richards, Nomadland
Phedon Papamichael, The Trial of the Chicago 7
2021 Oscar for Best Makeup and Hairstyling
Sergio Lopez-Rivera, Mia Neal & Jamika Wilson, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom — WINNER
Marese Langan, Laura Allen & Claudia Stolze, Emma
Eryn Krueger Mekash, Matthew Mungle & Patricia Dehaney, Hillbilly Elegy
Gigi Williams, Kimberley Spiteri & Colleen LaBaff, Mank
Mark Coulier, Dalia Colli & Francesco Pegoretti, Pinocchio
2021 Oscar for Best Costume Design
Ann Roth, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom — WINNER
Alexandra Byrne, Emma
Trish Summerville, Mank
Bina Daigeler, Mulan
Massimo Cantini Parrini, Pinocchio
2021 Oscar for Best Film Editing
Mikkel E.G. Nielsen, Sound of Metal — WINNER
Yorgos Lamprinos, The Father
Chloé Zhao, Nomadland
Frédéric Thoraval, Promising Young Woman
Alan Baumgarten, The Trial of the Chicago 7
2021 Oscar for Best Visual Effects
Tenet — WINNER
Love and Monsters
The Midnight Sky
Mulan
The One and Only Ivan
