March 15, 2021
Today we celebrate the historic nomination of two women for Best Director at the Oscars, a great leap forward after only five women have previously been nominated in 93 years of the Academy Awards. It’s so heartening to see women nominated across almost every category, from Best Picture to writing, editing, and all of the crafts that make movies happen. We will continue to work for these great strides to continue as there is still more to do to achieve equality in entertainment.
We congratulate the 72 women nominated for Academy Awards this year, as well as the three women who will receive Technical Achievement Awards. We also honor the significance of several milestones among this year’s nominees, including:
- Chloé Zhao, who is nominated in four categories for Nomadland (which she directed, produced, wrote, and edited), is the first woman of color to receive a Best Director nomination. This is the first year that there are two Asian directors nominated, including Minari‘s Lee Isaac Chung.
- This is also the first year that there are two women directors nominated, as Emerald Fennell is nominated not only for directing Promising Young Woman, but also for producing and writing.
- Viola Davis, Best Actress nominee for Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom has the most nominations ever for a Black actress, with this being her fourth Oscar nod. She is the only Black woman with two nominations for Best Actress.
- Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom Makeup and Hairstyling nominees Mia Neal and Jamika Wilson are the first Black women ever to be nominated for the category.
The women nominees for the 93rd Academy Awards are:
- Best Picture
- Mank – Ceán Chaffin, Producer
- Minari – Christina Oh, Producer
- Nomadland – Frances McDormand, Mollye Asher, Chloé Zhao, Producers
- Promising Young Woman – Ashley Fox, Emerald Fennell, Producers
- Directing
- Nomadland – Chloé Zhao
- Promising Young Woman – Emerald Fennell
- Film Editing
- Nomadland – Chloé Zhao
- 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
- 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
- Original Screenplay
- Promising Young Woman – Written by Emerald Fennell
- Adapted Screenplay
- Borat Subsequent Moviefilm – Screenplay by Erica Rivinoja & Jena Friedman; Story by Nina Pedrad
- Nomadland – Written for the screen by Chloé Zhao
- Documentary Feature
- Collective – Bianca Oana
- Crip Camp – Nicole Newnham, Sara Bolder
- The Mole Agent – Maite Alberdi, Marcela Santibáñez
- My Octopus Teacher – Pippa Ehrlich
- Time – Garrett Bradley, Lauren Domino
- International Feature
- The Man Who Sold His Skin (Tunisia) – Directed by Kaouther Ben Hania
- Quo Vadis, Aida? (Bosnia and Herzegovina) – Directed by Jasmila Žbanić
- Animated Feature
- Onward – Kori Rae
- Over the Moon – Gennie Rim, Peilin Chou
- Soul – Dana Murray
- Live Action Short
- Feeling Through – Susan Ruzenski
- The Letter Room – Elvira Lind, Sofia Sondervan
- The Present – Farah Nabulsi
- White Eye – Shira Hochman
- Documentary Short
- Colette – Alice Doyard
- Do Not Split – Charlotte Cook
- A Love Song for Latasha – Sophia Nahli Allison, Janice Duncan
- Animated Short
- Burrow – Madeline Sharafian
- Production Design
- The Father – Cathy Featherstone
- Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom – Karen O’Hara, Diana Stoughton
- Mank – Jan Pascale
- News of the World – Elizabeth Keenan
- Tenet – Kathy Lucas
- Costume Design
- Emma. – Alexandra Byrne
- Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom – Ann Roth
- Mank – Trish Summerville
- Mulan – Bina Daigeler
- Makeup and Hairstyling
- Emma. – Marese Langan, Laura Allen, Claudia Stolze
- Hillbilly Elegy – Eryn Krueger Mekash, Patricia Dehaney
- Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom – Mia Neal, Jamika Wilson
- Mank – Gigi Williams, Kimberley Spiteri, Colleen LaBaff
- Pinocchio – Dalia Colli
- Visual Effects
- Love and Monsters – Genevieve Camilleri
- Sound
- Soul – Coya Elliott
- Sound of Metal – Michelle Couttolenc
- Original Song
- “Fight for You” from Judas and the Black Messiah – H.E.R., Tiara Thomas
- “Hear My Voice” from The Trial of the Chicago 7 – Celeste Waite
- “Io Sì (Seen)” from The Life Ahead – Diane Warren, Laura Pausini
In February, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences celebrated its Scientific & Technical Awards. Receiving Technical Achievement Awards were:
- Hayley Iben, for the Taz Hair Simulation System
- Kelly Ward Hammel and Maryann Simmons, for the Walt Disney Animation Studios Hair Simulation System