DIVERSITY, GLAMOUR, SEVERAL BRITISH ACTORS IN 93RD ACADEMY AWARDS CEREMONY. Richard Fitzwilliams Predictions follow

DIVERSITY, GLAMOUR AND SEVERAL BRITISH NOMINEES IN 93RD ACADEMY AWARDS CEREMONY. SUNDAY 25TH APRIL. Richard Fitzwilliams, film critic and awards commentator, has seen almost every film nominated and is available on 07939602749. www.richardfitzwilliams.com @RFitzwilliams

This will be a ceremony like no other in a year like no other, an apocalyptic one for the cinema, staged in several venues but without acceptance speeches on Zoom. Nominees will be in person in so far as it can be arranged and we will finally see some much-needed glamour. The ratings for the Globes and BAFTAS were bad, this presents a challenge for its producers including Steven Soderbergh (who directed Contagion!). There will, again, be no host, but presenters will be top stars to give it pull as the films in contention are mostly low budget, relatively few of the audience (streaming figures are not released) may have seen them. The ceremony is to be “ a film itself” which sounds intriguing.

The Academy has 9,500 voting members, 3,000 more than in the 2015/16 #OscarsSoWhite years, and is finally far more diverse and international.

Important features: two female directors. At last. There have now been 7 since 1929!  The BAFTAS had four out of 6 this year.

It is far more diverse, 9 out of 20 in the acting categories are persons of colour, the BAFTAS had 16 out of 24 this year.

British input: Steven Spielberg once said “When the muses handed out the talent cards, the British got the biggest”. 7 of the acting nominees are British as is director Emerald Fennell.

China has banned the live broadcast of the ceremony as the superb short documentary Do Not Split, about the Hong Kong protest movement, was chosen as a nominee.

Best Picture

Will win Nomadland

Could win lots of speculation. Nomadland seems pretty certain

Should win Promising Young Woman 

Best Actress

Will win Carey Mulligan for Promising Young Woman

Could win Frances McDormand for Nomadland (Viola Davis for Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom?)

Should win Carey Mulligan.

Best Actor

Will win Chadwick Boseman (posthumously) for Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom

Should win Anthony Hopkins for The Father (at 83, the oldest ever nominee)

Best Supporting Actress

Will win Yuh-Jung Youn for Minari

Could win Maria Bakalova for Borat Subsequent Moviefilm

Should win Yuh-Jung Youn

Best Supporting Actor

Will win Paul Kaluuya for Judas and the Black Messiah

Should win LaKeith Stanfield for Judas and the Black Messiah

Best Director

Will win Chloe Zhao for Nomadland

Should win Emerald Fennell for Promising Young Woman 

Best Adapted Screenplay

Will win The Father

Should win The Father 

Best Original Screenplay

Will win The Trial of the Chicago 7

Should win The Trial of the Chicago 7.

It is an excellent list of nominees.

Errors

Why not go to 10 nominations as they can for Best Picture. Include Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, News of the World or Da 5 Bloods. The brilliant  Supernova should have been included, there are no films here with a LGBTQ theme.

Glenn Close did not deserve her nomination for Hillbilly Elegy (she equals Peter O'Toole's record of eight nominations without awin), the film was dreadful & sadly so was she.