"Mank," David Fincher's portrait of the man who co-wrote "Citizen Kane," led the pack of nominees for the 93rd Academy Awards announced Monday morning, scooping up 10 nominations, including best picture.
Eight films were nominated for best picture, the most prestigious prize in Hollywood. "Mank" was joined by "The Father," "Judas and the Black Messiah," "Minari," "Nomadland," "Promising Young Woman," "Sound of Metal" and "The Trial of the Chicago 7."
In a first, the list of contenders for best director included two women: Chloé Zhao for "Nomadland" and Emerald Fennell for "Promising Young Woman." Zhao also became the first woman of Asian descent to be nominated in the category.
Here's the full list of nominees.
The other nominees for the directing trophy are Lee Isaac Chung for "Minari," Fincher for "Mank" and — in a surprise to awards season pundits — Thomas Vinterberg for “Another Round.”
The performers up for acting honors are notably diverse this year — a stark contrast to five years ago, when an all-white slate of nominees helped fuel the #OscarsSoWhite hashtag.
Nine of the 20 acting nominees are people of color, including Riz Ahmed (“Sound of Metal”); Andra Day (“The People vs. Billie Holiday”); Steven Yeun (“Minari”); and Chadwick Boseman, who was recognized posthumously for "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom."
In a year defined by lockdowns and theater closures, many of the nominees came from streaming platforms. "Mank," "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom" and "The Trial of the Chicago 7" landed on Netflix; the "Borat" sequel, "One Night in Miami" and "Sound of Metal" debuted on Amazon.
"Mank," a black-and-white biopic about screenwriter Herman J. Mankiewicz, was also the most-nominated film heading into the Golden Globes last month. But the film, written by Fincher's late father Jack, walked away empty-handed.
"Nomadland," starring Frances McDormand as a 60-something woman who hits the open road after the death of her husband and the collapse of her Nevada factory town, is generally considered the frontrunner for the top award.
The nominations were announced via livestream by actor Priyanka Chopra Jonas and pop singer Nick Jonas from a set in London.
The ceremony will be held April 25, eight weeks later than originally planned because of the effect of the pandemic on the movie industry.
