When the Best Picture Award was originally created in 1929, it was called the Academy Award for Outstanding Picture and there were only 3 nominations covering films from 1927 and 1928. As more films were created and new members added, the amount of nominations fluctuated, with the current system (introduced in 2011) ‘between five and ten films’ to ensure only the elite pieces are included. However, this has not prevented public outcry as great movies fell off the Academy’s radar. From The Searchers and Vertigo of the distant past, to The Dark Knight and Uncut Gems more recently, there have been tons of snubs that left the public and filmmakers speechless.
It’s with these omissions and a cultural shift that has led to the Oscars 2021 becoming the lowest viewed in its history. Granted, the pandemic surely had an effect as it had on everything, but with more people stuck inside you could argue the Academy Awards should have had higher viewership, not less. There has been a huge diversity blindspot for years, and it’s only been within the last decade that the Oscars have adapted. Katheryn Bigelow was the first woman to win Best Director for the Hurt Locker in 2009. Mahershala Ali was the first muslim to win an Oscar in 2016 and became the first black actor to win two awards in the same category (Best Supporting Actor: Moonlight, Green Book). Most relevant to this discussion, Parasite became the first non-English language film to win best picture in 2019, the award ceremony prior to this one. Progress has been made but only recently, with more needing to be done, and it is unfortunate that these talented people are being given their dues to a smaller audience because of the damage done from previous years. Despite that, things look promising for this year’s candidates and I hope you enjoy my reviews of the films nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars 2021.