Oscar Nomination Reactions from this year’s nominees for the 93rd Academy Awards
Producers Marc Platt, Stuart Besser, Matt Jackson and Tyler Thompson, THE TRIAL OF THE CHICAGO 7 – Best Picture
“Thank you so much to the Academy for recognizing The Trial Of the Chicago 7. We are indebted to our brilliant writer and director, Aaron Sorkin, the outstanding craftspeople and the incredible ensemble of actors. We are so proud of the film that is a stark and inspirational reminder that the fight for freedom is never finished and that democracy will always be worth raising our voices for.”
Actor Gary Oldman, MANK – Best Actor
“After such a stressed pandemic year, there is a kind of comfort and reassurance in knowing that we soldier on in many ways with important traditions. In our industry there is nothing more traditional than the Academy Awards, which hopefully sends a sign of hope that we will get out of this. The Oscars are such a sign that normalcy still exists. In my case today marks my third Academy Award Nomination. Not to trivialize the current state of the world, it is a source of great pride and an honor to be recognized alongside these other tremendous, wonderful artists.”
Writer-Director, Aaron Sorkin, THE TRIAL OF THE CHICAGO 7
“It took fourteen years to make The Trial of the Chicago 7 and I’m thankful for all of them. We thank the Academy for recognizing so much individual achievement this morning, but our biggest thanks is for including our film among the extraordinary movies nominated for Best Picture. We learned a lot of hard lessons last year, but a nice one was that people will find a way to go to the movies, even if they can only go as far as their living rooms.
Chicago 7 is a very modern period piece. It takes place in 1968 but it’s about today. It’s a Valentine to the patriotism of protest, and to the courage of ordinary people who stand toe-to-toe with power. Jerry Rubin called the trial ‘the Academy Awards of protest.’ Well this is the Academy Awards of Academy Awards, and it’s an honor to be nominated.”
Best Supporting Actress – Amanda Seyfried, Mank
“Working with David Fincher on Mank has been the highlight of my career, and being recognized by the Academy for an experience that brought me this much joy and fulfillment feels surreal. I won’t be able to thank David enough for trusting me with this role and for the honor of reintroducing the world to the Marion Davies that I’ve come to know. To get to study this brilliant, humble woman and help restore her legacy has been a true privilege. Congratulations to David, Gary, and the whole cast and crew of Mank today – your brilliance has not gone unnoticed and I am humbled to share this recognition with you.”
Sacha Baron Cohen, THE TRIAL OF THE CHICAGO 7 – Best Supporting Actor
“I’m incredibly humbled and grateful to the Academy for both nominations! First, to the team of Trial of the Chicago 7—acting is a team sport, and I would not be in this position if it were not for the brilliance of Aaron Sorkin and the incredibly talented actors and crew that he surrounded us with and who lifted us up every day. Thank you, also, to the Academy for nominating Borat for the second time for Adapted Screenplay and for giving us the award for hiring the most WGA members in one movie. And, of course, congratulations to the sensational Maria Bakalova for her nomination! As a cast and crew, we took insane risks because we believed so deeply in the message of this movie—exposing the dangers of the last administration, but also celebrating the underlying goodness of ordinary people. Because underneath it all, we’re all the same, as Rudy Giuliani so very nearly demonstrated in that hotel room.”
Glenn Close, HILLBILLY ELEGY – Best Supporting Actress
“Congratulations to all my fellow nominees. I’m beyond thrilled and deeply grateful for Netflix’s brilliant support of their artists. I owe so much to Ron Howard, Amy Adams , Owen Asztalos and my genius hair and makeup team. This wouldn’t have happened without them. I dedicate this honor to all the grandmothers in the world who fight to give their children a better life.”
Vanessa Kirby, PIECES OF A WOMAN – Best Actress
“It is the greatest honour to be recognised by the Academy. And for a film I care so much about, and is so deeply in my heart. Thank you to Kornel and Kata for so bravely telling your story and for trusting me to be your Martha, to Kevin Turin and Ashley and Sam Levinson for believing in me, the cast and crew who I share this with, and to my family at Netflix for supporting and championing our story. I am so honoured that this story has been shared; it is one of so many women, and of their babies. This belongs to them.”
Composer Terence Blanchard, DA 5 BLOODS – Best Original Score
“It is an honor to be nominated by my peers at the Academy for Da 5 Bloods. The performances by Delroy, Clarke, Chadwick and the entire cast under the direction by my brother Spike was the guiding inspiration for me. In this time when life has taken a target turn for so many, I hope that this Oscar season will be able to take away a bit of the pain many are going through and give us moments that can brighten our days. Thank you very much.”
Editor, Alan Baumgarten, THE TRIAL OF THE CHICAGO 7 – Best Editing
“I’m thrilled and honored to be nominated and so proud of the depth of recognition for the film.”
Makeup and Hairstyling, Gigi Williams, Kimberley Spiteri and Colleen LaBaff, MANK – BEST MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING
“Thank you to the Academy! Thank you to everyone who worked on our team. We are truly honored to be recognized with such a great group of nominees!”
Cinematographer Erik Messerschmidt, ASC, MANK – Best Cinematography
“I am incredibly humbled by this recognition from the Academy and honored to be included amongst such distinguished talent. Revisiting the golden age of Hollywood through our modern lens and technique was an extraordinary opportunity to create something of our own and I am grateful to David Fincher for his trust. It was particularly special to share the experience with such a group of talented and dedicated filmmakers all of whom I love.“
Director Glen Keane and Producers Gennie Rim and Peilin Chou, OVER THE MOON – Best Animated Feature
“What a dream come true for Over the Moon to be recognized by the Academy today! We share this incredible honor with our entire cast and crew, who came together during this highly unusual time, to create something truly beautiful. We are so grateful to have had the opportunity to share Fei Fei’s extraordinary journey of love, loss and healing with the world. We are also forever indebted to our screenwriter and friend, the late Audrey Wells, for entrusting us with this most precious love letter to her daughter. We hope our film moves and inspires those who may be trying to find their own way, and helps to make our world feel a little smaller and more connected. On behalf of the entire Over the Moon family, a huge thank you to the Academy of Motion Pictures and Science for this recognition!”
Directors Will Becher and Richard Phelan, A SHAUN THE SHEEP MOVIE: FARMAGEDDON – Best Animated Feature
“Shaun the Sheep nominated for an Oscar!? A collection of inaudible sounds followed by silence… And that’s just our reaction to the news!
We’re absolutely thrilled to receive an Oscar nomination! This is an incredible experience and a reflection of the amazing hard work and talent of everyone who worked on the film.
The message of making new friends, learning from each other and always remaining positive in spite of difficult circumstances is something that we think a lot of people have connected to. On behalf of our silent movie star, Shaun the Sheep, and all of us at Aardman, we’d like to extend our heartfelt thanks to the Academy.”
Writer/Directors Will McCormack & Michael Govier, Producer Maryann Garger, IF ANYTHING HAPPENS I LOVE YOU – Best Animated Short
“We are truly honored to be nominated alongside this group of inspiring shorts. Our film was made around a kitchen table with a small group of amazing artists and we never imagined that we would be here. This film was a passion project and a deep meditation on grief. We see ourselves in the loss, we see ourselves in the grief and we see ourselves in the way forward. We are humbled that so many people opened their hearts to the film. A heartfelt thank you to the Academy. If Anything Happens I Love You, was created for the ones lost, and the ones left behind.”
Director/Producer Sophia Nahli Allison, A LOVE SONG FOR LATASHA – Best Documentary (Short Subject)
We are filled with deep gratitude that Latasha’s story and the memories of Tybie “Ty” O’Bard and Shinese Harlins are being honored, celebrated, and cherished. We would like to humbly thank the Harlins family, the ENTIRE A Love Song For Latasha team, and South Central. We are a community re-membering, reimagining, and celebrating Black life and Black girlhood. A Love Song For Latasha is and has always been a love letter to Latasha Harlins and Black girls. Tomorrow, March 16, 2021, marks 30 years since Latasha’s life was stolen and her story will never be erased. We share this honor with Latasha, Ty, and Shinese. We love you and thank you. This nomination is dedicated to Black girls who have felt unseen, unheard, and adultified. We see you.
Songwriters Daniel Pemberton & Celeste Waite, “HEAR MY VOICE” from THE TRIAL OF THE CHICAGO 7
“What an amazing journey a song can have…From being in lockdown, stuck at home, yet somehow still managing to write, collaborate and record over phone calls, text messages and video chats to create something from nothing that is now nominated for an Oscar is just, well, mind-blowing! “Hear My Voice” is a song written in the spirit of protest and we wrote this song with the intention to in-still hope and belief into those who feel they aren’t heard, to know that one day they will be. We are so lucky to have had such a powerful film from Aaron Sorkin to inspire the song and great collaborators in each other to complete it. To the Academy: a huge thank you we are both truly honoured”
Songwriters Savan Kotecha, Fat Max Gsus, Rickard Göransson, “HUSAVIK (MY HOMETOWN)” from EUROVISION SONG CONTEST: THE STORY OF FIRE SAGA – Best Original Song
We are so speechless and beyond honored by this nomination. Rickard, Fat Max and I would like to thank the Academy for this unreal moment!! Thank you Netflix, David Dobkin, Will Ferrell and Andrew Steele for allowing us to be a part of this movie! Wow just beyond floored!!! Thank you!!!
David Fincher, Best Director, MANK
“This is truly an honor. From the entire MANK team, we could not be more grateful to the Academy for this recognition.”
VFX Supervisor Matt Kasmir, VFX Supervisor Chris Lawrence, Animation Supervisor Max Solomon and SFX Supervisor David Watkins, Best Visual Effects, THE MIDNIGHT SKY
“It is a great honour to be nominated for an Oscar by our peers in the Academy’s Visual Effects branch. This was a tremendous collaborative effort involving a diverse team who came together from all over the world to overcome adversity and create a message of hope. We are very excited on the team’s behalf that their work on The Midnight Sky has garnered this recognition and are extremely grateful to the outstanding filmmakers for giving us this opportunity.”
Production Designer, Mark Ricker, Best Production Design, MA RAINEY’S BLACK BOTTOM
“On behalf of the entire Ma Rainey Art Department – Karen, Diana and I am thrilled to be nominated by our peers in the Academy.
Profound thanks to George C. Wolfe for his vision and guidance, to Denzel Washington and Todd Black for their leadership, to the Cast and our Pittsburgh Crew and to Netflix for their support. Many Congratulations to our fellow nominees in the category of Production Design – and in honor and memory of Chadwick Boseman and August Wilson.”
Co-Director/Producer Nicole Newnham, Co-Director/Producer Jim LeBrecht, Producer Sara Bolder, Best Documentary Feature, CRIP CAMP
“We’re all over the moon over our Oscar nomination for Crip Camp. It’s such an honor to be a part of this incredible group of nominees. We share and celebrate this moment with the Deaf and disabled community. We hoped that our film would change how people with disabilities are thought of in our society. There are so many compelling stories coming out of the disability community that have yet to be seen, heard and experienced. We hope that our nomination will lead to Deaf and disabled people obtaining the jobs and opportunities in front of and behind the camera that they have been fighting for.
Our profound thanks to President and Mrs. Obama, Tonia Davis and Priya Swaminathan from Higher Ground and Howard Gertler for supporting our vision to make this film and share this story with the world: the story of how a community built around inclusion, friendship, and trust became the foundation for a movement that made the world better for everyone. Netflix has been an incredible partner, innovating and supporting our efforts to make the film accessible to so many people around the world. We thank the Sundance Institute, Kristin Feeley and Tabitha Jackson for nurturing the film from the very beginning and our co-conspirators and collaborators in the edit room who gave so much love and life to the telling of this story: Andrew Gersh, Eileen Meyer, Mary Lampson, and Lauren Schwartzman.
We’d like to give a shout out to the Jenedians – those campers, counselors and staff who created a utopia that helped us believe that we could do anything. And finally, we want to thank Judy Heumann and everyone who have fought for disability rights over the years and the current day warriors in the disability justice movement. We would not be here today without your hard work and sacrifices.”
Donald Graham Burt, MANK – Best Production Design
We are so honored to be recognized by the Academy for our work on Mank. And we humbly receive this recognition knowing that so many talented people contributed to making the project special. Thank you so much for the nomination and recognition!
Jan Pascale, MANK – Best Production Design
It is such an honor for our work to be recognized by our peers!!!!
Composers Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross, MANK – Best Original Score
We are incredibly honored to have two of our scores recognized this year by the Academy. We are truly humbled and grateful… THANK YOU!
Eryn Krueger Mekash, Matthew Mungle and Patricia Dehaney, HILLBILLY ELEGY – Best Makeup and Hairstyling
We are so grateful, proud and honored by this Academy Award nomination for Best Make-up & Hair for “Hillbilly Elegy.” Thank you to Netflix for all their continuing support!!!
Mia Neal, Jamika Wilson and Sergio Lopez-Rivera, MA RAINEY’S BLACK BOTTOM – Best Makeup and Hairstyling
Mia Neal, Hair Department Head
“I am overwhelmed with gratitude to be honored by such a prestigious committee. For them to see me and recognize the work as something noteworthy is something unbelievable to me. I’m just so grateful and humbly honored to be a part of something so prestigious. To be with Jamika and for us to be the first African Americans nominated in this category is overwhelming. I have to raise my expectations for myself because this was something I never thought that I could achieve.
I attribute the opportunity that we received from Denzel who has really made it his mission to tell the stories of our dignitaries and keep their work alive, like August Wilson and Ma Rainey. Now the world has her name on their tongue, and no one knew who she was. Thank god for Denzel giving us the opportunity to tell that story with him.
I also have to thank my ancestors. I feel like they’ve been with me every step of the way, and that everything they’ve done was so their future generations could live out their dreams. They kept going so we could have a better life, and I feel like these dreams of mine are their dreams too. And I hope that people that look like us know that they can do it too.”
Jamika Wilson, Hairstylist to Viola Davis, MA RAINEY’S BLACK BOTTOM
“Growing up, my grandmother always told me to do my best no matter what, no matter who’s watching. I live this daily on set, I bring this to work each day. I know she is smiling down from Heaven, celebrating this nomination with me.
A nomination from the Academy was an unfathomable thought, to think I could be nominated for doing what I love never entered my mind. I am blown away and eternally grateful.
The recognition of my art and talent by the Academy of Motion Picture and Science is bigger than me. It is for every young hair stylist who dreams beyond the salon chair to work on a motion picture set. It is for the young child who tells their parent they want to be a hair stylist to receive a response of “That’s not a real career.” The nomination is validation that hair styling is an art form, a craft and a skill. It also shows every Black woman or man doing hair that we can achieve, and importantly that our talent and skill is equal and exceptional.
Eternal gratitude to Viola Davis for the opportunities she’s blessed me with and inspiring me to reach higher. It is was my honor to work on Ma Rainey and contribute to brining Ma Rainey to life each day.
During the filming of Ma Rainey my goal was not to win an award. Each day I give my best on set, the same as I do for every client and every project. The nomination for an Oscar for Best Hair and Makeup is recognition of my art, my talent and my craft. It is an immense honor to which I have abundant gratitude.”
Sergio Lopez-Rivera, Makeup Artist to Viola Davis, MA RAINEY’S BLACK BOTTOM
“Wow. No words. No words come to me right now. Just a feeling, a memory of being 7 or 8 years old in Spain, where I am from. Back then, watching the Academy Awards was a family affair. Everyone would come together to witness excellence and glamour. The whole family was in on it. I watched in awe, fantasizing about what it must feel to be among the nominees. To feel proud of your accomplishments to receive an accolade with grace and humility.
To a young boy growing up in a small coastal town in Northern Spain, an Oscar nomination seemed impossibly out of reach and I am truly humbled today. My love of makeup is directly linked to my lifelong love affair of movies and how many endless nights I spent immersed in the technicolor make-believe of cinema. One thing I know for certain is that I absolutely love what I do. I am aware of how uniquely fortunate that makes me. This nomination is absolutely the greatest honor so, from the bottom of my heart, thank you, thank you…y muchas, muchas gracias!”
Alexander Nanau, director, COLLECTIVE, Best Documentary Feature and Best International Film
“This is a win for independent investigative journalists and whistleblowers, guardians of our societies, who can hold corrupt authorities accountable. Most of all, COLLECTIVE is a cinematic tribute to the victims and survivors who had the courage to let us into their most private moments.”
Warren Shaw, Michael Minkler, Beau Borders and David Wyman, GREYHOUND – Achievement in Sound
“We would like to thank the Academy for this huge recognition. It is an honor to be nominated and we are grateful to our friends at Playtone, Gary Goetzman, Tom Hanks, and Apple for their incredible support. We are truly humbled.”
Riz Ahmed, Best Actor, SOUND OF METAL
“Wow! I’m honoured to be nominated by my fellow actors alongside such inspiring performances, and am grateful to the Academy for their support and encouragement. I’m equally thrilled for our visionary writer-director Darius Marder and the brilliant Paul Raci as well as our editor Mikkel, sound designer Nicolas, and co-writer Abe Marder. These nominations represents the time, generosity and talents of so many — all of our incredible cast, crew, producers and in particular I’d like to thank my mentors in the drumming, addiction recovery, and D/deaf communities. Sound of Metal is about how a health crisis can cut you off from your life and loved ones, and force you to grow in unexpected ways. In a challenging year for so many, I hope this story can inspire us to forge new and deeper connections with ourselves and others.”
Paul Raci, Best Supporting Actor, SOUND OF METAL
“Thank you to the Academy for this honor. During my 40-something-year acting career, I have always been about the work. I’ve continued to work in small theater houses, like Deaf West Theatre, doing what I was trained to do from my Chicago Theater years, but to be validated in this way is gratifying on a level that I can only describe as heavenly. I’m so grateful to Darius Marder for directing and writing a script and a character seemingly for me without even knowing me that changed my life, and to Amazon for the love and support they have provided me. My heart is full, and as always, I look forward to the work and am grateful for the stillness.”
Youn Yuh-jung, Best Supporting Actress, MINARI
“Never in my dreams did I ever think a Korean actress would be nominated for an Oscar, and I can’t believe it’s me! I am incredibly humbled by the honor,” Youn said in a statement Monday morning. “Thank you so much AMPAS, A24, Plan B, my Minari family and our entire cast and crew. We made this film with love, and I thank you for loving us back. And thank you, Isaac. This is all because of you!“
Leslie Odom, Jr., Best Supporting Actor, Best Original Song (ONE NIGHT IN MIAMI)
“I am deeply honored to be a member of the new class of nominees. I am very grateful to the Academy. I am very grateful to Regina King. We will be associated with these projects, in this year, in relation to one another, for a really long time to come. There were so many who were deserving. I am humbled beyond words to have my work as a performer in One Night in Miami and a co-writer of the film’s original song “Speak Now,” included in the number.”
Thomas Vinterberg, Best Director and International Feature Film, ANOTHER ROUND
This is wonderful news. Thank you very much to the Academy, and congratulations to my fellow nominees. I’m honored to be in your company. I’ve made some films over the years, but none of them have meant so much to me as this one. During a long journey like this, it matters most to be surrounded by great collaborators who are also great friends. My actors, Mads, my co-writer Tobias, Sturla my DOP, my producers from Zentropa and the amazing behind the scenes talent were all on this journey with me and gave all they had. Thank you from Denmark.
Here is Vinterberg’s live reaction to his directing nomination.
Garrett Bradley, Best Documentary Feature, TIME
I speak for our entire film team in expressing how honored we are to be seen alongside so many great films and in equal partnership to the issues each of them raises. Awards at their best are, in my mind, a mirror to the cultural consciousness of our times and I am grateful to Fox and Rob and to the universe for bringing us together and for the opportunity to share their story. We thank The Academy for seeing us and offering the space to honor both everyday resistance and the power of universal love.
Maite Alberdi, Best Documentary Feature, THE MOLE AGENT
“It’s an honor to have been among such an extraordinary range of remarkable films on the shortlist and we are truly grateful to the Academy and to the Documentary Branch. For a Latin American female led team, this type of dream seems impossible, but this year has taught us to see life from a different angle. This nomination signifies to every elder that the world still sees them and values them and helps us remember that it’s not just important to increase life expectancy, but the desire to live. This year, after so many losses, we took a look at our seniors again and understood that they were living in a pandemic prior to COVID – “the pandemic of loneliness” – and we are very proud to see how THE MOLE AGENT has helped families reconnect with their elders.”
He is a Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic, accredited by the Cannes Film Festival, Telluride Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival and more, is a member of the International Cinephile Society (ICS), The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics (GALECA), Hollywood Critics Association (HCA) and the International Press Academy. Among his many achieved goals with AwardsWatch, he has given a platform to underrepresented writers and critics and supplied them with access to film festivals and the industry and calls the Bay Area his home where he lives with his husband and son.
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