It was the most star-studded night of the year! And this time, it really did happen in person.
The 2021 Oscars, which was held in two separate Los Angeles locations, was produced by director Steven Soderbergh, producer Stacey Sher and actor Jesse Collins. And for the third consecutive year, the awards were handed out without a host, perhaps due in part to the controversy surrounding the initial host selection of Kevin Hart for the 2019 ceremony.
Zoom malfunctions were avoided after producers explicitly stated, “There will not be an option to Zoom in for the show.” Instead, viewers witnessed heated competition between some of the most popular films of the year including Mank, which led the pack with 10 nominations, Minari, Promising Young Woman and Golden Globe winner, Nomadland. Musical performances also included Leslie Odom Jr., H.E.R. and more.
In addition to seeing some swoon-worthy fashion other than Jason Sudeikis‘ tie-dye hoodie, we had another event to celebrate: A record 76 nominations were given to females. Promising young women indeed! For the first time, more than one female director was nominated in the best director category—Chloé Zhao (Nomadland) and Emerald Fennell (Promising Young Woman). Previously, only five other women had been nominated for the honor in the award show’s 93-year history. Zhao was also the first woman to receive four nominations in a single year, and the first female of Asian descent to be nominated in the best director category.
