The 2021 Academy Awards are Sunday, April 25 at 7 p.m. and include a batch of phenomenal films, actors, directors, producers and more. Unlike other years however, the Oscars will not be taking place at the Dolby Theatre, but instead at Union State in downtown Los Angeles.

There will be no traditional audience present at the awards, but the show’s producers are encouraging nominees to attend (with safety measures) in order to create the most “normal” experience that they can. There will also be a hub (private area for nominees living in the UK) present in London.

This year, eight films are nominated for Best Picture, including “The Father,” “Judas and the Black Messiah,” “Mank,” “Minari,” “Nomadland,” “Promising Young Woman,” “Sound of Metal” and “The Trial of Chicago 7.”

Since April Reign launched the #OscarsSoWhite campaign in 2015 that called out the Oscars for only nominating films by white directing teams (and by only males as well), the Oscars have tried to diversify their nominations to include people of color and women (something that should’ve already been a thing). Women scored 76 of the 235 nominations, including two of the five nominations for Best Director. These 76 nominations are a record for the number of women nominated throughout the different categories.

“Judas and the Messiah” is the first time an all-black producing team has been nominated for Best Picture award. This film is a biographical drama film following FBI informant William O’Neal, who is tasked with keeping tabs on the charismatic Illinois Black Panther Party leader, Fred Hampton. Then, Viola Davis, who is nominated for Best Actress for her role in “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottoms,” is now the most-nominated black actress ever with four nominations. The total number of nominations for black people is 19.

The A24 film “Minari” (translated to “water celery”) is an American drama written and directed by Lee Issac Chung and is a semi-autobiographical take on Chung’s upbringing. The film focuses on a South Korean family who immigrated to the United States in the 1980s. The cast is predominantly Asian and the film can be screened in both Korean and English. Steven Yeun makes history as the first Asian American nominated for Best Actor.

Riz Ahmed also makes history as the first Muslim nominated for Best Actor.

And Chloé Zhao is the first Asian and woman of color nominee in the Best Director category.

Deemed as the front-runner by many avid movie critics and opinion pieces, “Nomadland,” directed by Chloé Zhao, a Chinese-American film director, follows a woman (Frances McNormand, who is also nominated as Best Leading Actress) as she leaves her hometown to travel the U.S. after her husband passes away. This film takes place after the Great Recession and includes real life nomads in the film, which is based off the non-fiction book “Nomadland: Surviving America in the Twenty-First Century.”

David Fincher is once again nominated for Best Director for the third time. Fincher has been nominated 40 times for various awards for films such as “The Social Network” and “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo.” His 2021 nomination for the film “Mank” is a biographical drama film highlighting the 1940s screenwriter Herman J. Mankiewicz and his screenplay for the film “Citizen Kane.”

Chadwick Boseman, who died August 28, 2020, is nominated for his role as Levee Green in “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.” Boseman is the eighth actor to be nominated posthumously. Some others are Heath Ledger and Peter Finch who both won awards after their deaths.

“Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” is based off the play of the same name by August Wilson in 1920s Chicago that follows influential blues singer Ma Rainey and dramatizes a recording session.

I am personally very excited to hear the winner of Best Picture because of the immense media talk from film critics about this year’s selection. More social media leads to more attention award shows receive, and thus the nominees from their avid supporters. With not much more to do this year than watch movies, there is an array of creative films with ranging plot lines that many people have opinions on. There has been pressure on the film industry since COVID-19 because the arts industry lost so much and halted so much work, but people still persisted and continued to work to put on the content that the rest of us can enjoy while in the pandemic. I am not the most avid film critic out there, but I will gear up for any award show.

As mentioned early, “Nomadland” is predicated by many film reviewers and critics to sweep the awards and take home Best Picture. It’s the film with the most nominations, as well as the most praise. “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” is predicted to follow with its phenomenal actors and production and design team.

Chadwick Boseman and Carey Mulligan (“Promising Young Woman”) are both predicted to take home Best Actor and Best Actress respectively for their leading roles.

With last year’s Oscars taking place right before the COVID-19 pandemic, this year’s awards will be a refreshing way to celebrate all the work and achievements of the industry without the typical glitz and glam. Of course, it will be sad to not have the iconic looks from the red carpet roll in, but there will hopefully still be some stunning looks from the nominees.

The Oscars provide a night to celebrate the arts and everyone who has contributed to film. From acting, to visual effects, to the editing teams— the 93rd Academy Awards will celebrate the work of so many, despite the challenges that 2020 has brought.

Macy Berendsen can be reached at macy.berendsen@stthomas.edu.