We all know 2020 wasn’t exactly a good year for movies. That’s not to say good movies didn’t come out — there’s Nomadland, Minari, Judas and the Black Messiah, just to name a few. But for those hoping for genre fare in awards season, studios for the most part decided to hold their big-budget, potentially big-earning nerdy blockbusters for a time when the plague wasn’t running rampant and people could pay $15 a ticket to see them.
As a result, this year’s Academy Award nominees are rather lacking, at least in terms of genre entertainment, but there are things worth noting among the nominees. The late actor Chadwick Boseman and The Walking Dead’s Steven Yuen grabbed Best Actor noms for Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom and Minari, respectively, as did Rogue One and Venom’s Riz Ahmed, for Sound of Metal. Yuen and Ahmed’s nominations are particularly historic: Yuen becomes the first ever Asian-American considered in the Best Actor category, while Ahmed, who is of British and Pakistani descent, joins him as just the fourth actor of Asian descent to be nominated in the category.
Director Chloé Zhao was nominated for Nomadland — which makes it even crazier her next project is Marvel’s Eternals movie — alongside fellow nominee Emerald Fennell marking the first time multiple women have been nominated in the category. For more specific genre nods, Disney’s Mulan might nab Best Costume design, while Soul is nominated for every audio award possible, including best Animated Movie (alongside Disney’s Onward), as per standard Disney/Pixar procedure. Other than those, though? You can check out the full list of nominees below.
Best Actress in a Supporting Role
- Maria Bakalova, Borat Subsequent Moviefilm
- Glenn Close, Hillbilly Elegy
- Olivia Colman, The Father
- Amanda Seyfried, Mank
- Yuh-Jung Youn, Minari
Best Costume Design
- Emma
- Mank
- Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
- Mulan
- Pinocchio
Best Original Score
- Da 5 Bloods
- Mank
- Minari
- News of the World
- Soul
Best Adapted Screenplay
- Borat Subsequent Moviefilm (Peter Baynham, Sacha Baron Cohen, Jena Friedman, Anthony Hines, Lee Kern, Dan Mazer, Erica Rivinoja & Dan Swimer)
- The Father (Christopher Hampton & Florian Zeller)
- Nomadland (Chloé Zhao)
- One Night in Miami (Kemp Powers)
- The White Tiger (Ramin Bahrani)
Best Original Screenplay
- Judas and the Black Messiah (Will Berson, Shaka King, Keith Lucas & Kenny Lucas)
- Minari (Lee Isaac Chung)
- Promising Young Woman (Emerald Fennell)
- Sound of Metal (Derek Cianfrance, Abraham Marder & Darius Marder)
- The Trial of the Chicago 7 (Aaron Sorkin)
Best Animated Short Film
- Burrow
- Genius Loci
- If Anything Happens I Love You
- Opera
- Yes-People
Best Live-Action Short Film
- Feeling Through
- The Letter Room
- The Present
- Two Distant Strangers
- White Eye
Best Actor in a Supporting Role
- Sacha Baron Cohen, The Trial of the Chicago 7
- Daniel Kaluuya, Judas and the Black Messiah
- Leslie Odom, Jr., One Night in Miami
- Paul Raci, Sound of Metal
- LaKeith Stanfield, Judas and the Black Messiah
Best Documentary Feature
- Collective
- Crip Camp
- The Mole Agent
- My Octopus Teacher
- Time
Best Documentary Short Subject
- Colette
- A Concerto Is a Conversation
- Do Not Split
- Hunger Ward
- A Love Song for Latasha
Best International Feature Film
- Denmark, Another Round
- Hong Kong, Better Days
- Romania, Collective
- Tunisia, The Man Who Sold His Skin
- Bosnia and Herzegovina, Quo Vadis, Aida?
Best Sound
- Greyhound
- Mank
- News of the World
- Sound of Metal
- Soul
Best Production Design
- The Father
- Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
- Mank
- News of the World
- Tenet
Best Film Editing
- The Father
- Nomadland
- Promising Young Woman
- Sound of Metal
- The Trial of the Chicago 7
Best Cinematography
- Judas and the Black Messiah
- Mank
- News of the World
- Nomadland
- The Trial of the Chicago 7
Best Visual Effects
- Love and Monsters
- The Midnight Sky
- Mulan
- The One and Only Ivan
- Tenet
Best Animated Feature Film
- Onward
- Over the Moon
- A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon
- Soul
- Wolfwalkers
Best Makeup and Hairstyling
- Emma
- Hillbilly Elegy
- Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
- Mank
- Pinocchio
Best Original Song
- “Husavik” from Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga
- “Fight For You” from Judas and the Black Messiah
- “lo Sì (Seen)” from The Life Ahead (La Vita Davanti a Se)
- “Speak Now” from One Night in Miami
- “Hear My Voice” from The Trial of the Chicago 7
Best Actor in a Leading Role
- Riz Ahmed, Sound of Metal
- Chadwick Boseman, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
- Anthony Hopkins, The Father
- Gary Oldman, Mank
- Steven Yeun, Minari
Best Actress in a Leading Role
- Viola Davis, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
- Andra Day, The United States vs. Billie Holiday
- Vanessa Kirby, Pieces of a Woman
- Frances McDormand, Nomadland
- Carey Mulligan, Promising Young Woman
Best Director
- Thomas Vinterburg, Another Round
- Emerald Fennell, Promising Young Woman
- David Fincher, Mank
- Lee Isaac Chung, Minari
- Chloé Zhao, Nomadland
Best Picture
- The Father
- Judas and the Black Messiah
- Mank
- Minari
- Nomadland
- Promising Young Woman
- Sound of Metal
- The Trial of the Chicago 7
The 93rd Academy Awards will air on April 26 in Australia.