Which films will compete for the Oscar in 2021

The pandemic not only changed the rituals of the release of films and trips to cinemas, but also significantly adjusted the rules of the award season. Almost all festivals have switched to virtual reality, and as an exception, all projects from stream services for which traditional rental was not provided are allowed to qualify for the Oscar. In addition, the deadline for the release of paintings has been extended until the end of February 2021 (instead of the usual December 31).

The award ceremony itself is scheduled for April 26. We are figuring out which of the applicants will not stumble over quarantine and will last until the award spring.

Following Martin Scorsese and his big-budget elegy "The Irishman", David Fincher is ready to enter the streaming path and chase the statuette. His first full meter in six years is a black-and-white biographical drama about Hollywood screenwriter Herman Mankiewicz, the author of Citizen Kane.

The script for "Semolina" was written by Fincher's father Jack back in the 1990s, but he did not have time to live before the start of production. The plot takes place in the 1930s and describes the relationship of the odious Mankevich with director Orson Welles, his own brother and the industry as a whole. In the role of Mankevich is Oscar winner Gary Oldman, for whom this is a major bid for another victory.

The second directorial work of the famous playwright Sorkin after the "Big Game" of 2017. Initially, the picture belonged to Paramount, but after lengthy negotiations and fears of financial ruin, the studio agreed to transfer it to a stream service.

The film tells about a large-scale trial in 1969, when several young people were accused of treason for participating in protests against the Vietnam War. It is difficult to think of a more relevant story for the fateful political statements of 2020. The cast includes literally everything: from the British Eddie Redmayne and Mark Rylance to the prankster who exchanged his appearance for the dramatic role of Sasha Baron Cohen.

The story of the formation of financier J. D. Vance in the Appalachian Mountains - the abode of the "rednecks" of the a.k.a. electorate of Donald Trump. Starring - the main "Oscar" outsiders Amy Adams and Glenn Close (for two - 13 nominations without wins).

The first plays the mother of the main character, suffering from alcohol and drug addiction, the second is a strong-willed grandmother who taught Vance to fight for dreams and became the reason why the guy was able to leave his native village and enroll at Yale University.

The film is promised to be released after the presidential election, on Thanksgiving Day, so that the possible romanticization of Republicans does not harm the Democrats and the final results.

An epic three-hour drama about the return of Vietnam War veterans to the battlefield was released in early summer, but in a shortened year it has every chance to wait for the ceremonies and become a loud statement at them.

Netflix will pin its main hopes on the director's award for Spike Lee and the acting regalia of Delroy Lindo and Chadwick Bozeman, for whom the role in the film was one of the last.

Christopher Nolan's 200-million-dollar project is already rapidly reviving the international rental (53 million dollars excluding the United States and Russia). The image of the director as the messiah has long been entrenched in memes, but now colleagues who vote in rubles and recognition are quite capable of turning jokes into reality.

In the absence of options, "Argument" is likely to pass into the final "top ten" and bring only the second directorial nomination for Nolan in his career. The industry will not forget about the impressive work with sound, camera work and soundtrack.

The long-suffering film adaptation of "Dune" by Frank Herbert may seem much less accessible to Hollywood. In the 1980s, due to the studio's decision, a large-scale Sci-fi almost destroyed David Lynch's career, becoming a commercial and critical failure after release.

The new version has a much more successful situation with the director - Warner Bros. they gave the Canadian and the nominee for "Arrival" Villeneuve full control, not forgetting to provide a large sum.

The ensemble consists of young stars (Timothy Chalamet, Zendeya) and an established guard (from Javier Bardem to Charlotte Rampling), and although the path to the main category may be an unaffordable occupation (academics honor large-scale projects only in breakthrough cases, see "Mad Max"), Dune will definitely find recognition among the masters of "craft".

Anderson's first feature film in six years, "The Herald" was originally supposed to light up at the canceled Cannes Film Festival and be released in the summer. After the outbreak of the pandemic, Disney and its Searchlight studio carefully postponed the release to October, and then completely removed from the 2020 schedule.

Nevertheless, the chances of the main artist of Hollywood are still active — an almanac about the work of the American editorial office in a French newspaper, the same Chalamet (as well as long-time collaborators of the director Bill Murray, Frances McDormand and Tilda Swinton).

The unchanging style and traditional fascination are able to play on the necessarily nostalgic Hollywood light and get into at least five nominations, including for directing, scenery, costumes and accompanying soundtrack by Alexander Desplat.

The only one of the contenders who will be able to be shown at four major festivals: in Venice, Toronto, New York and an abbreviated version of Telluride. The story of a middle-aged woman Fern (Frances McDormand), who loses all her funds in the economic crisis of 2008 and goes to roam the American states.

The director was Chloe Zhao ("Rider"), who will also release the blockbuster "Eternal" from Marvel Studios early next year.

"Earth" is based on the non-fiction of the same name and involves real nomads sharing their experiences as artists. While McDormand is trying to take the third acting Oscar by storm, Zhao may become the first woman of Chinese descent to be nominated for directing (and only the sixth in history to fall into the category). The film will be promoted by Searchlight, a company subordinate to Disney.

After winning the secondary category for "If Beale Street Could Talk," Regina King decided to re-qualify as a director after a couple of series and shoot her feature-length debut. "One Night in Miami" will take the audience back to 1964.

Boxer Muhammad Ali celebrates his victory in a boxing match together with his associates: political activist Malcolm X, football player Jim Brown and singer Sam Cook. Together, the four want to end segregation — later comrades will become symbols of the fight against racism.

In a recent interview, King noted the importance of the release of the tape in 2020 — the year that personifies the protests and brought the Black Lives Matter movement to a new level. "One Night in Miami" will be shown out of competition in Venice and Toronto. The promo campaign will be led by the Amazon stream service, which will release the film before the end of the year. King herself may become the first actress in history to be nominated also for directing.

A romantic drama with Kate Winslet and Saoirse Ronan, whose action takes place in the middle of the XIX century. Secretive paleontologist Mary Anning is forced to look after a young Charlotte suffering from depression. Gradually, women get closer and enter into relationships, which threatens to destroy their familiar world.

The author of "God's Land" Lee continues to explore the topic of same-sex love — this time enlisting the support of NEON, which has just celebrated a historic victory for the best film ("Parasites"). Winslet and Ronan, after the release of the trailer, can safely apply for nominations, appearing in atypical guises for themselves.

The return to the award season of stage and screen veteran Anthony Hopkins. First shown at this year's Sundance, the drama tells the story of an elderly father suffering from dementia. The health of the main character seriously deteriorates after his move to his daughter.

From the first reviews, critics have called Hopkins' work amazing, and the artist himself is the main and almost the only favorite in the "best male role". If he wins, he will become the oldest actor in this category — at the time of the ceremony he will be 83 years old.

Olivia Colman is also present in the ensemble of the "Father", which the studio-distributor Sony Pictures Classics will surely send to the background, where the British actress will again face Glenn Close — in 2019, their confrontation ended with a shocking victory for Colman for the "Favorite".

The 93rd Academy Awards will be held on April 26, 2021. The nominees will be announced on March 15.