Oscar nominations: five things to remember about this 93rd edition

The nominations for the Oscars were unveiled at dawn on Monday in Los Angeles, with their usual batch of records, surprises and leftovers.

Here are five things to remember about this 93rd edition:

First or Supporting Actor

It's the eternal debate since the Oscars began: who is considered to have the lead role, vying for the "Best Actor" award, and who should swallow their pride and just compete in the "Best Supporting Actor" category?

If the nominations for this year's edition are to be believed, the film "Judas and the Black Messiah" would have no lead role. Daniel Kaluuya and LaKeith Stanfield are both up for supporting roles, respectively for their portrayal of Black Panther activist Fred Hampton and police informant William O'Neall.

The Oscar jurors couldn't decide between them? Unlike other film awards, the Oscars place actors in the category where they received the most votes.

"It was only the voters at the Oscars to look at a film about two black men and decide that both were supporting actors," reacted Robbie Collin, critic for the British newspaper The Telegraph, on Twitter.

Diversity

After long being criticized for favoring white men, the Oscar jury distinguished itself Monday by the diversity of its choices in different categories.

Steven Yuen became the first Asian American to be selected in the best actor category for "Minari". He will face Riz Ahmed ("Sound of Metal"), the first actor of Pakistani origin to be nominated for an Oscar.

On her side, Viola Davis broke the record of nominations for a black actress, getting her fourth selection for "Ma Rainey's Blues". She is joined by a second black actress, Andra Day, for "Billie Holiday, An Affair of State", again a historic first.

In total, nine "non-white" actors are in the running in the four acting categories, according to Hollywood experts.

"Ma Rainey's Blues" and "One Night in Miami", two films directed and acted by black artists, are however absent from the list of nominations for "Best Feature Film", the top category.

Live

David Rubin, president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which presents the prestigious Oscars, announced Monday that the ceremony would be held not only at the traditional Dolby Theatre in the heart of Hollywood, but also at a historic train station in downtown Los Angeles.

Details are still unknown, but the famous Union Station, known for its Spanish colonial architecture, should allow the star-studded lineup to attend the gala while respecting the safety distances required with the coronavirus, just like the artists invited to the Grammy Awards on Sunday night.

Patience pays off

Romanian films have often been cursed at the Oscars. On 35 occasions, the country has submitted nominations to the jury, which has systematically ignored them, until this Monday.

"The Collective Affair," which highlights corruption after a tragic accident in a Bucharest nightclub, doesn't do things by halves: it is not only selected in the "best foreign film" category but also in the "best documentary" category.

Tunisia has also obtained the first Oscar nomination in its history thanks to "The Man Who Sold His Skin".

Both works will find on their way the Danish film "Drunk", given favorite for the Oscar for foreign film.

A very promising young woman

The British director Emerald Fennell could not have found a more appropriate title for her film. At 35, she became the first director to earn an Oscar nomination for her first feature film with "Promising Young Woman".

"Promising Young Woman" is a feminist thriller about a woman (Carey Mulligan) who quenches her thirst for revenge by going to bars and pretending to be drunk to get men to reveal their misogyny.

The film received five nominations in total, including one in the top category of "Best Feature Film".

Source: AFP