Oscar nominations 2021: Mank leads the way with British actors Gary Oldman, Olivia Colman and Daniel Kaluuya receiving nods

This year’s ceremony is shaping up to be an eventful end to awards season

This year’s Oscar nominees have been announced.

Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Nick Jonas named the films and actors in contention during a live broadcast today (15 March).

Mank leads the way with 10 nominations, including Best Picture, as well as David Fincher for Best Director, Gary Oldman for Best Actor in a Leading Role, and Amanda Seyfried for Best Actress in a Supporting Role. 

The biographical drama about screenwriter Herman J Mankiewicz and his development of the screenplay for Citizen Kane received critical praise upon its release in November last year. The Independent named Seyfried’s “wonderful” performance as a highlight in its four-star review of the film. 

British actors have got a significant look-in at this year’s ceremony, too, via Oldman’s nod for Mank as well as nominations for Sound of Metal’s Riz Ahmed, and Anthony Hopkins and Olivia Colman in The Father.

READ MORE: Oscar nominations 2021 list in full

Oldman, Ahmed and Hopkins are all competing in the Best Actor category, alongside the late Chadwick Boseman for Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom and Steven Yeun for Minari. At 83 years old, Hopkins is now the oldest ever Best Actor nominee.

Sacha Baron Cohen has been nominated for his supporting role in The Trial of the Chicago Seven, while Daniel Kaluuya has also been feted with a nod in the Supporting Actor category for his part as Fred Hampton – the chairman of the Illinois chapter of the Black Panther Party – in Judas and the Black Messiah.

Kaluuya’s co-star Lakeith Stanfield has also surprisingly been nominated in the same category, despite his role as FBI informant William O’Neal largely considered to be the film’s leading part.

Carey Mulligan’s performance in Promising Young Woman earned the actor her second nomination in the Best Actress category, where she is up against fellow Brit Vanessa Kirby for her role in Pieces of a Woman.

READ MORE: Judas and the Black Messiah review: Shaka King’s portrait of Fred Hampton makes the radical accessible

Following behind Mank’s 10 nominations is The Father, Chloe Zhao’s Nomadland starring Frances McDormand, Netflix’s The Trial of the Chicago 7, Sound of Metal and Lee Isaac Chung’s Minari, each earning six nominations each. 

After controversy surrounding Minari’s placement in the foreign film category at the Golden Globes and more recently the BAFTAs, the film – which follows the story of a Korean-American family who move to Arkansas – has picked up a prestigious Best Picture nod.

READ MORE: Golden Globes slammed for restricting Minari to foreign language categories

Chung is up against Fincher (Mank), Thomas Vinterberg (Another Round), Zhao (Nomadland) and Emerald Fennell (Promising Young Woman) in the Best Director category. 

The film’s stars Steven Yeun and Youn Yuh-jung have also received nods for Best Actor and Best Actress in a Supporting Role, respectively.

Due to the pandemic, the annual Oscars ceremony has been pushed back from its usual late February or early March slot to 25 April.