[2021 Academy] No Rival... 'Nomadland' Wins 3 Awards Including Best Picture (Summary)

Chloe Zhao Becomes First Asian Woman to Win Best Director... Frances McDormand Wins Third Best Actress Award
Anthony Hopkins Wins Best Actor for 'The Father'... 'Minari' Satisfied with Youn Yuh-jung's Win

Chinese-born director Chloe Zhao's "Nomadland" has won the Academy Award for Best Picture, following its Golden Lion win at the Venice International Film Festival.

On the 25th (local time), at the 93rd Academy Awards held at Union Station and the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA, the film triumphed over "Minari," "The Trial of the Chicago 7," "Promising Young Woman," "The Father," "Judas and the Black Messiah," "Mank," and "Sound of Metal" to take the highest honor. Adding Best Director (Chloe Zhao) and Best Actress (Frances McDormand), it achieved a triple crown. This is the first time an Asian woman has won both Best Picture and Best Director. Frances McDormand also took the stage twice as both producer and lead actress.

"Nomadland" is a drama based on the nonfiction book by journalist Jessica Bruder. The setting is Empire, Nevada, USA. When the gypsum board factory that sustained the town closed, the residents scattered. Fern (Frances McDormand), who lost her job, wanders in a small, old van. She covers living expenses by volunteering for "Amazon CamperForce," a seasonal job program Amazon offers to nomads during the year-end peak season. Despite its intention of mutual benefit for workers and companies, it imposes harsh labor on those over 60 years old.

Ironically, Fern awakens to a new life after being unable to continue working at the warehouse for a while. She drifts like duckweed in the valley, lost in contemplation, and enjoys leisure watching the red sunset. These are rare experiences she never had in the city. Fern also interacts with various people, building emotional bonds through intimate stories while healing the sorrow of losing her husband. Director Zhao adds a documentary perspective to highlight the restoration of these values. The protagonist's name, Fern, refers to a spore-reproducing fern plant without flowers or seeds.

Upon receiving the trophy, director Zhao said, "I thank everyone who helped make this film, Jessica Bruder who wrote the beautiful book, and all the families of 'Nomadland'." She then mentioned by name the real-life wanderers who appeared in the film, including Linda May, Swankie, and Bob Wells. McDormand, winning her third Best Actress award following "Fargo" and "Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri," recommended watching the film on the big screen and amused the audience by imitating a wolf howl.

The Best Actor award went to Anthony Hopkins for "The Father." Most media had predicted a posthumous win for Chadwick Boseman for his performance in "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom," but his seasoned acting was not enough to surpass Hopkins. This is Hopkins' first Best Actor win in 29 years since "The Silence of the Lambs" in 1992. He set a record as the oldest Best Actor winner at age 84.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

The Best Supporting Actor and Actress awards went as expected to Daniel Kaluuya for "Judas and the Black Messiah" and Youn Yuh-jung for "Minari." Youn Yuh-jung is the first Korean actor to win an Oscar acting award. She is the fourth Asian actor to do so, following Miyoshi Umeki (Best Supporting Actress for "Sayonara," 1957), Haing S. Ngor (Best Supporting Actor for "The Killing Fields," 1984), and Ben Kingsley (Best Actor for "Gandhi," 1982).

Emerald Fennell won Best Original Screenplay for "Promising Young Woman," and Florian Zeller and Christopher Hampton won Best Adapted Screenplay for "The Father." Pixar's animation "Soul" won two awards for Best Animated Feature and Best Original Score. "Mank," which received the most nominations with ten, won Best Cinematography (Erik Messerschmidt) and Best Production Design (Donald Graham Burt).

Eric Oh's "Opera," the only Korean work invited to the Oscars, failed to win Best Animated Short Film. The trophy went to "If Anything Happens I Love You," directed by Will McCormack and Michael Govier.

Below is the list of winners and winning works:

▲ Best Picture: Nomadland

▲ Best Director: Chloe Zhao (Nomadland)

▲ Best Actress: Frances McDormand (Nomadland)

▲ Best Actor: Anthony Hopkins (The Father)

▲ Best Original Screenplay: Emerald F