A historic night for Chloe Zhao and seven highlights from Oscars 2021

Chloé Zhao, director of Nomadland, made history as the first woman of color to win Best Director at the Academy Awards, and we’re bringing other top seven highlights from the recently concluded Oscars 2021.

From the onset, the 93rd Academy Awards ceremony fondly called the Oscars promised to be an unusual one. It was the first to be held virtually due to the coronavirus pandemic and also considered films spanning nearly two years — 2020 and early 2021 as opposed to the traditional one-year consideration period. Additionally, the ceremony took place in two Los Angeles locations simultaneously; the Union Station and the Dolby Theatre on 25 April 2021.

Anthony Hopkins becomes oldest Best Actor winner

Anthony Hopkins features in Sidomex Oscars 2021 highlights

Born in 1937 and turning 84 in December 2021, Hopkins won his second Oscars for Best Actor for his role in the 2020 drama film “The Father”, based on director Florian Zeller’s 2012 play “Le Père”.

He beat Chadwick Boseman who was nominated posthumously, Riz Ahmed, Steve Yeun, and 2018 winner Gary Oldman to the award.

Anthony Hopkins’ first Best Actor win came in 1991 for his portrayal of an imprisoned Dr Hannibal Lecter in “The Silence of the Lambs”.

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Chloé Zhao historic win

The Oscars 2021 Best Director award went to Chloé Zhao for “Nomadland”, a film that she wrote, edited, produced, and directed. As already noted, the win made her the first woman of color to do so. Additionally, it was the second time that a woman would win the award after Kathryn Bigelow did so for her 2010 war thriller film “The Hurt Locker”.

Also vying for the award were Thomas Vinterberg, David Fincher, Lee Isaac Chung, and Emerald Fennell.

Chloé Zhao

Zhao’s introduction to the Oscars also came with her film winning Best Picture, an honor she shared with co-producers Frances McDormand and Peter Spears. With two wins, her night at the Oscars could have been better had the film also won Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Film Editing, for which the Chinese film director was also nominated. With two wins and four nominations, it was an especially good night for Zhao.

Mank gets the most nominations

With 10 nominations at the Oscars 2021, “Mank” was expected to cart away the most awards. However, it got only two wins falling short of “Nomadland” 3/6 outing at the award ceremony.

“Mank” had its hand in so many jars including Best Costume Design, Best Makeup and Hairstyling among others. Its cinematographer Erik Messerschmidt ended up winning the Best Cinematography award while Donald Graham Burt and Jan Pascale won Best Production Design for their contributions to the film.

Daniel Kaluuya’s Oscars acceptance speech

It will not be the Oscars if a spinoff drama did not accompany the handing out of the award statuettes. The night’s highlight came after Daniel Kaluuya gave his speech a shocking and seemingly incoherent conclusion

“We’re breathing, we’re walking, it’s incredible. My mum, my dad, they had sex, it’s amazing, you know what I mean? And I’m here! I’m so happy to be alive!” the actor said.

It appears that he had not practiced the speech with his family before he delivered it to the whole film world because his mother’s reaction was:

Daniel Kaluuya ‘s mom literally said “what is he talking about” #Oscars pic.twitter.com/vrGHBNLn7a

— Nicole Perez (@nicole_perez1) April 26, 2021

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Stylists from “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” set represent

Sergio López-Rivera, Mia Neal and Jamika Wilson were recognized for their amazing styling work on the stars who played the different characters in the 2020 film, “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom”. Neal and Wilson both became the first Black women to win the Oscar for Best Makeup and Hairstyling.

Lopez-Rivera is well known for his work in the “How to Get Away with Murder” TV series as well.

Sergio López-Rivera, Mia Neal, and Jamika Wilson

In addition to winning the styling award, the film’s costume designer Ann Roth also went home with the Best Costume Design award.

Other notable firsts from Oscars 2021 highlights

Yuh-Jung Youn, who played Soon-ja in the drama film “Minari”, became the first Korean and only the second Asian woman to win Best Supporting Actress. Meanwhile, Steven Yeun, from “Minari” too, was the first Asian American to be nominated for Best Actor and Riz Ahmed of “Sound of Metal” is the first Muslim to be nominated for Best Actor as well.

Diana Rigg, Jerry Stiller, DMX, Sean Connery and Chadwick Boseman, Cicely Tyson remembered

American actress Angela Bassett presented the Oscars 2021 “In Memoriam” segment in honor of film stars who passed away in 2020. In place of a live performance, the organizers played a montage with a version of Stevie Wonder’s “As” in the background.

Sean Connery features in In Memoriam highlights at the Oscars 2021

Here is a complete list of all the celebrities that got memorial honors:

1. Cicely Tyson – actress
2. Ian Holm – actor
3. Max von Sydow – actor
4. Cloris Leachman – actress
5. Yaphet Kotto – actor
6. Joel Schumacher – director
7. Bertrand Tavernier – director
8. Jean-Claude Carrière – writer, director
9. Olivia de Havilland – actress
10. Irrfan Khan – actor
11. Michael Apted – director, producer
12. Paula Kelly – actress
13. Christopher Plummer – actor
14. Allen Daviau – cinematographer
15. George Segal – actor
16. Wilford Brimley – actor
17. Thomas Jefferson Byrd – actor
18. Marge Champion – actress, dancer, choreographer
19. Ron Cobb – production designer, concept artist
20. Shirley Knight – actress
21. José Luis Diaz – sound editor
22. Kelly Preston – actress
23. Rhonda Fleming – actress
24. Kelly Asbury – director, writer, animator
25. Fred Willard – actor
26. Hal Holbrook – actor
27. Kurt Luedtke – writer
28. Linda Manz – actress
29. Michael Chapman – cinematographer, director
30. Martin Cohen – producer
31. Kim Ki-duk – director, writer
32. Helen McCrory – actress
33. Ennio Morricone – composer
34. Thomas Pollock – executive
35. Carl Reiner – actor, writer, director, producer
36. Larry McMurtry – writer
37. Lynn Shelton – director
38. Earl Cameron – actor
39. Alan Parker – director, writer
40. Mike Fenton – casting director
41. Edward S. Feldman – producer
42. Lynn Stalmaster – casting director
43. Nanci Ryder – publicist
44. Sumner Redstone – executive
45. Remy Julienne – stunt performer
46. Stuart Cornfeld – producer
47. Ronald L. Schwary – producer
48. Jonathan Oppenheim – film editor
49. Al Kasha – composer
50. Charles Gordon – producer
51. Brian Dennehy – actor
52. Charles Gregory Ross – hairstylist
53. Alberto Grimaldi – producer
54. Johnny Mandel – composer
55. Brenda Banks – animator
56. George Gibbs – special effects
57. Haim Shtrum – studio musician
58. Lennie Niehaus – composer
59. Leslie Pope – set decorator
60. Joan Micklin Silver – director, writer
61. Roberta Hodes – script supervisor, writer
62. Ken Muggleston – set decorator
63. Diana Rigg – actress
64. Leon Gast – documentarian
65. Anthony Powell – costume designer
66. Chuck Bail – stunt performer
67. Bhanu Athaiya – costume designer
68. Colleen Callaghan – hairstylist
69. Peter Lamont – production designer
70. David Giler – writer, producer
71. Norman Newberry – art director
72. Zhang Zhao – executive, producer
73. Conchata Ferrell – actress
74. Alan Robert Murray – sound editor
75. Andrew Jack – dialect coach
76. Jonas Gwangwa – composer
77. Marvin Westmore – makeup artist
78. Pembroke Herring – film editor
79. Linda Gurasich – hairstylist
80. Michel Piccoli – actor
81. William Bernstein – executive
82. Cis Corman – casting director, producer
83. Michael Wolf Snyder – production sound mixer
84. Ja’Net DuBois – actress
85. Les Fresholtz – re-recording mixer
86. Jerry Stiller – actor
87. DMX – songwriter, actor, producer
88. Giuseppe Rotunno – cinematographer
89. Else Blangsted – music editor
90. Ronald Harwood – writer
91. Masato Hara – producer
92. Robert C. Jones – film editor, writer
93. Walter Bernstein – writer, producer
94. Sean Connery – actor
95. Chadwick Boseman – actor

The Oscars 2021 ceremony was produced as a film, complete with an ensemble cast that includes 15 presenters. Its acting awards were announced last, an unusual occurrence which led to the award night ending abruptly after Hopkins was announced as the winner, and his award picked up on his behalf as he was not in attendance.

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