Words: Giulia Lombardo

The 2021 Academy Awards were presented tonight. The winner of the evening was, as per the script, Nomadland, who brought home a historic hat trick as best film, best director and best leading actress. Here are the winners in this 93rd edition of the Academy Awards.

We finally meet all the winners of the 2021 Academy Awards. Less than a month after the official announcement of the candidates in the 23 Oscar categories, and after weeks of predictions and predictions on the possible winners, the Academy has rendered its verdict.
Winner of the Oscar 2021 evening was, as per the script, ‘Nomadland’ by Chloé Zhao, who can truly be described as the main protagonist of the night, by winning her three awards as best film, best director (Zhao is the second woman in history to win the award after Kathryn Bigelow) and best leading actress.

Oscar also for Anthony Hopkins in the context of awards far more than attentive to the question of inclusivity, with even the first Oscar ever went to an Asian actress, Yuh-Jung Youn by ’Minari’.
Emeral Fennell awarded for the screenplay of ‘Promising Young Woman’, while for ’Mank’ (and ‘Sound of Metal’) only technical awards. Unique, partial surprise, the Oscar for the best documentary went to ‘My Octopus Teacher’. Dry mouth for Italy: no prizes for Pinocchio and Laura Pausini, that was beaten by the incredible H.E.R, who won the Oscar for best original song with ‘Fight For You’. ‘Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom’ won the nomination for best costume design, which – in my opinion – could have won something else as-well due to the incredible talent of Viola Davis and the late Chadwick Boseman.

The Oscars do not forget the emergency that the world is experiencing by hosting an epidemiologist in evening dress that gives advice, always the same: distance, mask and sanitize the hands, as well as spots for the vaccine: “it is free and available for everyone”. From the historic Dolby Theater and a new location, the unpublished Union Station (a former firehouse turned into the Oscar house) a ceremony once again without a presenter, but with a series of stars that will alternate on stage to reward colleagues from Brad Pitt to Harrison Ford. While the candidates are scattered around the world from Seoul to Sydney, from Paris to Kilkenny in Ireland, the humanitarian award goes to comedian actor Tyler Perry, who distributed meals to thousands of people during the pandemic.

It was an incredible night, that made us go back to reality, to some sort of normality, and celebrate an industry that suffered this draining pandemic, but has managed to survive and to still be able to make us dream. With art, talent, and with that little bit of sane madness that characterises us all.