The 2021 Oscar Winners Make History

This year witnessed the gathering of the strong and skilled

The 93rd Academy Awards was another long-awaited award show. Many of us clung to entertainment during the start of quarantine, as binge-watching movies served as a reprieve while staying home and adapting to the new normal. And once again, the year’s films that kept us entertained were celebrated, and the passionate artists were recognized. The 2021 Oscar winners were made up of genius individuals who kept bringing us things to look forward to, despite the harrowing effects of a global pandemic.

But beyond going strong and gracing the world with their art, many filmmakers and their corresponding films celebrated their origins and their excellence. These individuals waved their own unique flags of talent and heritage as they were awarded. The world witnessed different landmark moments during the ceremony, perhaps even history. Here’s what went down at the Oscars this 2021.

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Of firsts and milestones

The Academy Award-winning lineup for this year is filled with a lot of firsts. South Korea’s very own Youn Yuh-jung became the first Korean to win an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her performance as the South Korean immigrant and grandmother Soon-ja in Minari. 

Meanwhile, the first Asian woman to win Best Director is Chloé Zhao for her work in Nomadland. Later into the ceremony, the film was also awareded Best Picture. Both of these awards solidified Zhao’s skill and talent, as she continued the sweep of Bong Joon-ho from 2020 with Parasite, which also landed Bong the Oscars for Best Director and Best Picture. Nomadland’s third Oscar was bagged by 2021’s Best Actress Frances McDormand, who played Fern.

This year, Filipino and African-American artist H.E.R. reaches another milestone as being both a Grammy-winning and Academy Award-winning singer-songwriter. She takes home the award for Best Original Song for Fight For You that appeared in Judas and The Black Messiah.

Of performances well-deserved

The introspective animated Pixar film Soul takes home the Oscars for Best Animated Feature Film and Best Original Score. The film taught its audiences to look beyond our life’s spark, a lesson that was delivered with an equally moving soundtrack. If anything, these are proof that Soul deserves both awards.

Daniel Kaluuya, known for his roles in Get Out and Black Panther, also wins the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor in his role as Fred Hampton in the biographical movie, Judas and The Black Messiah. Here, Kaluuya was able to carry his role as the African-American revolutionary from the 1960s. Upon watching the trailer alone, you can definitely see his skill in transforming into Hampton that got him his Oscar.

Lastly, the Academy Award for Best Actor went to Anthony Hopkins for his role as Anthony in The Father. The film received a 98% mark from the film critic site Rotten Tomatoes. The Father is critically acclaimed, and Hopkin’s performance is wonderfully received as he was able to deliver a chilling yet empathetic picture of what it's like to live with dementia. With his help, the film was able to show its watches a perspective usually misunderstood.

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This year’s categories were definitely filled with strong contenders, and the 2021 Oscar winners really deserved the recognition. These films transported us to other worlds while we remained stuck at home, fueling our days as we coped with self-isolation.

Watch other Oscar-nominated films such as Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom and Mank on Netflix!