Oscars 2021: All The Best Moments From This Year’s Academy Awards

The Oscars 2021 was very different this year as it was more intimate and low-key for obvious reasons, lasting for just over three hours.

The 93rd annual Academy Awards made history before the first award was even handed out.

After years of criticism for a lack of diversity, this year’s slate of nominees contained some notable firsts. It was the first time an all-Black producing team was nominated for best picture, the first time two actors of Asian descent received a nod for best actor and the first year that two women were nominated for best director. When the winners were revealed, it reflected this spirit of inclusion

Watching the entire ceremony isn’t everyone’s cup of tear, but that doesn’t mean you should feel left out when everyone talks about the big moments. So we’ve rounded up the must-see bits from this year’s unique Academy Awards.

Alan kim and vicky kim, oscars 2021 red carpet

1. Alan Kim wins the red carpet

It might have been a very different Oscars, but there was still the traditional (if scaled-back) red carpet for this year’s nominees to strut their stuff.

Given that all other awards ceremonies in the past year have mostly been virtual, an actual, in-person red carpet felt unique and more exciting as a result. It helped that the likes of LaKeith Stanfield, Glenn Close and Carey Mulligan brought some fantastic looks.

They were all upstaged by adorable Minari breakout star Alan Kim who, at only nine years old, showed them all how to win the heart of everyone watching.

2. Regina King opening the show

Living up to the promise of it being shot like a movie, this year’s ceremony opened with Regina King strolling into Union Station to kick off the show in a one-take ‘opening credits’ as the names of the presenters were shown.

It was very Steven Soderbergh and effortlessly cool. Not even a little stumble from King when she got on stage could change that.

She went on to give a touching opening monologue that mentioned the recent Derek Chauvin verdict, as well as outlining the unique rules behind this year’s ceremony such as the lack of facemasks.

Not only that, King also presented the first two awards of the night which included the formidable challenge of saying the entire name of the Borat sequel – and she nailed it, because of course she did.

3. Daniel Kaluuya’s speech

 It wasn’t a surprise that Daniel Kaluuya won Actor in a Supporting Role for Judas and the Black Messiah, but very few people would have seen his outstanding speech coming.

It started innocently enough with him thanking God, his mum, his sister and other family and friends. Kaluuya went on to pay tribute to Fred Hampton and the rest of the cast of his movie, before his speech went in an unexpected direction.

“My mum and my dad, they had sex. It’s amazing,” Kaluuya said as he started to wrap up, leaving his mum wondering what her son had started talking about. Fortunately, he never went into further detail.

4. Chloé Zhao’s historic win

Like Kaluuya, Chloé Zhao was widely expected to win the Directing award for Nomadland, yet that doesn’t make her win any less historic.

She’s not only the second woman to win the award, following Kathryn Bigelow for The Hurt Locker, but she’s also the first woman of colour and first Asian woman to have landed the Oscar for Directing.

Zhao gave a heartwarming speech in which she shared her father’s words of wisdom that there is goodness in everyone, adding: “This [award] is for anyone who has the faith and the courage to hold onto the goodness in themselves, and to hold onto the goodness in each other.”

5. Yuh-Jung Youn being brilliant

 

Minari’s Yuh-Jung Youn became the first Korean to win an acting Oscar and marked the occasion with an endearing speech that started with a light scolding of Brad Pitt, who presented the award and executive produced the movie.

“Mr Brad Pitt, finally, nice to meet you. Where were you while we were filming?,” she joked, before saying she forgives everyone who said her name wrong and praising her fellow nominees.

“I don’t believe in competition. How can I win over Glenn Close? I’ve been watching her for so many performances. All five nominees, we are the winners for different movies, we play different roles, so we cannot compete with each other. I’m luckier than you,” she said.

And she had one final zinger: “I like to thank my two boys, who made me go out and work. This is the result because mummy worked so hard.”

6. Glenn Close doing Da Butt