The 93rd Academy Awards ceremony: Racial politics and other problems
The Academy Awards ceremony Sunday night was distinctive both because it occurred in the midst of a catastrophic pandemic, which was barely mentioned, and because organizers made every effort to see to it fortunately not always successfully that race and gender dominated the affair from beginning to end. The latter element of the broadcast in particular left a distinctly unpleasant taste in one’s mouth. At the same time, a number of worthy or intriguing performances and films were also honored.
Nomadland
The American media now almost universally agrees that the success or failure of the annual event is directly tied to the number of black, female and Asian award-winners. This has created a deplorable, debased atmosphere. Artistic quality or social significance hardly merits a reference. In so far as academy voters resist the de facto race and gender quota system (soon to be codified), they are subject to sharp
Academy Awards 2021: ‘Nomadland’ claims the coveted best director prize at an in-person Oscars
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.
After the nominations made history on a variety of fronts, the awards did early on as well, Breaking with tradition, the producers chose to hand out best director early, with Chinese-born Chloé Zhao of “Nomadland” becoming only the second woman ever to claim that prize, following Kathryn Bigelow for “The Hurt Locker” in 2010.
“Minari” co-star Yuh-jung Youn also became the first Korean actress to win an Oscar, in the process adding a more dubious footnote to Glenn Close’s illustrious career: With her eighth bid for “Hillbilly Elegy,” she ties Peter O’Toole as the actor with the most nominations without ever having won.
Daniel Kaluuya wins Oscar for portrayal of Black Panther icon Hampton africanews.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from africanews.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.