Actors of color are favorites in each category, and two female directors are nominated for the first time -- this year's Oscars could set new benchmarks for diversity, thanks to long-brewing industry changes as well as Covid-19's transformation of Hollywood, experts say.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has drastically reformed its membership in recent years, admitting large batches of new Oscars voters each year who better reflect society's diversity, after much criticism for its mainly white, male base.

"I think that this <a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/oscars">Oscars</a> will be forever remembered as the one where changes in the voting body made six years ago in the wake of #OscarsSoWhite has delivered on a promise by the Academy to reform itself," Black US actor Dwayne Barnes ("Menace II Society") wrote in a column for industry site Deadline.

While it is difficult to draw a direct line from those changes to this year's nominations, the current Oscars race is startlingly different from those seen in previous years.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/entertainment/oscars-attendees-wont-be-wearing-face-masks-on-camera-378754" hreflang="en">Oscars attendees won't be wearing face masks on camera</a>

Last year, Cynthia Erivo was the sole non-white actor among 20 nominations, but this time the late Chadwick Boseman ("Ma Rainey's Black Bottom"), Black British actor Daniel Kaluuya ("Judas and the Black Messiah") and South Korean star Youn Yuh-Jung ("Minari") are the firm frontrunners for acting statuettes.

Boseman's co-star Viola Davis is among a crowded pack vying for best actress, while Beijing-born Chloe Zhao ("Nomadland") looks like a shoo-in for best director if she can fend off Emerald Fennell ("Promising Young Woman").

The #OscarsSoWhite campaign was launched in January 2015 on social media to denounce and draw attention to the overwhelming majority of white nominees rewarded year after year by the Academy.

At the time, the Academy's 6,000 members were 93 percent white and 76 percent male.

By this summer, the prestigious group had reached a goal of doubling the number of women and non-white members, reaching one-third female and 19 percent "underrepresented minorities."

"It took a few years to take hold, but there is every reason to hope that the change (in the crop of nominees) is... not a one-time occurrence," wrote Barnes.&nbsp;

- 'Perfect storm' -

As well as #OscarsSoWhite, the #MeToo movement spurred by the sexual assault revelations about disgraced Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein has prompted calls for more female representation across all film professions.

The impacts of those campaigns have gathered steam over recent years, but in 2020 collided with a dramatic and unpredictable change -- Covid-19.

The coronavirus pandemic has closed movie theaters and delayed Oscar-tipped mega-productions, such as Steven Spielberg's "West Side Story" and sci-fi blockbuster "Dune," both directed by white men.

"They really shook the tree, and this year for the first time, because Covid knocked out a lot of the big movies... that left sort of a bare field," said Sasha Stone, founder of the Awards Daily site, which has analyzed film awards since 1999.

The "pared down selection" of films in contention "happened to be movies by filmmakers of color and women," she said, noting that "nobody had to worry about opening weekend" box office numbers for films lacking star wattage.

"It turned into the perfect storm," she told AFP.

The meteoric rise of streaming platforms during pandemic lockdowns "is certainly a part of" the overall leap forward in representation, as television "has become much more diverse more quickly than film," said Darnell Hunt, a professor of social sciences focusing on race, media and culture at University of California, Los Angeles.

"The streamers really took off in terms of their audiences -- that certainly helped present to the Academy a much more diverse slate of films than they're used to seeing," added Hunt, who is lead author of UCLA's annual Hollywood Diversity Report.

- 'The salad' -

With California re-opening as vaccinations accelerate, Hollywood may return to a more familiar look next year, with a less diverse slate of nominees in coming years.

But Hunt says he does not expect a full return to "business as usual... like it was before the pandemic."

"The signs are pointing in the right direction," he told AFP, noting that in addition to membership changes, the Academy is bringing in eligibility criteria for best picture candidates involving minimum representation of minorities, women, and LGBTQ cast and filmmakers.

"I think all of those things collectively bode well," Hunt said.

Of course, the question remains whether changes to the Oscars will have a profound impact on the way the broader movie industry itself operates.

Stone warned that awards like the Oscars are increasingly "separate from box office anyway now, because they've become so niche," and blockbusters will likely remain less diverse as a whole.

"If male directors make more money, then they'll keep getting hired for the superhero movies. And if white actors are drawing more money, they'll keep getting hired for the superhero," she said.

Oscar nominations can help films to make money and studios to burnish their image, but ultimately "it's like how McDonald's has the salad," she said.

"McDonald's sells Big Macs all over the world, but they have this salad that makes them seem like they care about health.

"That's what the Oscars are to Hollywood -- the salad."

Actors of color are favorites in each category, and two female directors are nominated for the first time -- this year's Oscars could set new benchmarks for diversity, thanks to long-brewing industry changes as well as Covid-19's transformation of Hollywood, experts say.

Actors of color are favorites in each category, and two female directors are nominated for the first time -- this year's Oscars could set new benchmarks for diversity, thanks to long-brewing industry changes as well as Covid-19's transformation of Hollywood, experts say. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has drastically reformed its membership in recent years, admitting large batches of new Oscars voters each year who better reflect society's diversity, after much criticism for its mainly white, male base. "I think that this Oscars will be forever remembered as the one where changes in the voting body made six years ago in the wake of #OscarsSoWhite has delivered on a promise by the Academy to reform itself," Black US actor Dwayne Barnes ("Menace II Society") wrote in a column for industry site Deadline. While it is difficult to draw a direct line from those changes to this year's nominations, the current Oscars race is startlingly different from those seen in previous years. Oscars attendees won't be wearing face masks on camera Last year, Cynthia Erivo was the sole non-white actor among 20 nominations, but this time the late Chadwick Boseman ("Ma Rainey's Black Bottom"), Black British actor Daniel Kaluuya ("Judas and the Black Messiah") and South Korean star Youn Yuh-Jung ("Minari") are the firm frontrunners for acting statuettes. Boseman's co-star Viola Davis is among a crowded pack vying for best actress, while Beijing-born Chloe Zhao ("Nomadland") looks like a shoo-in for best director if she can fend off Emerald Fennell ("Promising Young Woman"). The #OscarsSoWhite campaign was launched in January 2015 on social media to denounce and draw attention to the overwhelming majority of white nominees rewarded year after year by the Academy. At the time, the Academy's 6,000 members were 93 percent white and 76 percent male. By this summer, the prestigious group had reached a goal of doubling the number of women and non-white members, reaching one-third female and 19 percent "underrepresented minorities." "It took a few years to take hold, but there is every reason to hope that the change (in the crop of nominees) is... not a one-time occurrence," wrote Barnes. - 'Perfect storm' - As well as #OscarsSoWhite, the #MeToo movement spurred by the sexual assault revelations about disgraced Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein has prompted calls for more female representation across all film professions. The impacts of those campaigns have gathered steam over recent years, but in 2020 collided with a dramatic and unpredictable change -- Covid-19. The coronavirus pandemic has closed movie theaters and delayed Oscar-tipped mega-productions, such as Steven Spielberg's "West Side Story" and sci-fi blockbuster "Dune," both directed by white men. "They really shook the tree, and this year for the first time, because Covid knocked out a lot of the big movies... that left sort of a bare field," said Sasha Stone, founder of the Awards Daily site, which has analyzed film awards since 1999. The "pared down selection" of films in contention "happened to be movies by filmmakers of color and women," she said, noting that "nobody had to worry about opening weekend" box office numbers for films lacking star wattage. "It turned into the perfect storm," she told AFP. The meteoric rise of streaming platforms during pandemic lockdowns "is certainly a part of" the overall leap forward in representation, as television "has become much more diverse more quickly than film," said Darnell Hunt, a professor of social sciences focusing on race, media and culture at University of California, Los Angeles. "The streamers really took off in terms of their audiences -- that certainly helped present to the Academy a much more diverse slate of films than they're used to seeing," added Hunt, who is lead author of UCLA's annual Hollywood Diversity Report. - 'The salad' - With California re-opening as vaccinations accelerate, Hollywood may return to a more familiar look next year, with a less diverse slate of nominees in coming years. But Hunt says he does not expect a full return to "business as usual... like it was before the pandemic." "The signs are pointing in the right direction," he told AFP, noting that in addition to membership changes, the Academy is bringing in eligibility criteria for best picture candidates involving minimum representation of minorities, women, and LGBTQ cast and filmmakers. "I think all of those things collectively bode well," Hunt said. Of course, the question remains whether changes to the Oscars will have a profound impact on the way the broader movie industry itself operates. Stone warned that awards like the Oscars are increasingly "separate from box office anyway now, because they've become so niche," and blockbusters will likely remain less diverse as a whole. "If male directors make more money, then they'll keep getting hired for the superhero movies. And if white actors are drawing more money, they'll keep getting hired for the superhero," she said. Oscar nominations can help films to make money and studios to burnish their image, but ultimately "it's like how McDonald's has the salad," she said. "McDonald's sells Big Macs all over the world, but they have this salad that makes them seem like they care about health. "That's what the Oscars are to Hollywood -- the salad."

Oscars more diverse as pandemic, protests shake up Hollywood

Oscars 2021: Here's a look back at posthumous Oscar winners

Oscars this year is going to be different as some 70 women are representing a record total of 76 overall nominations. In honour of this, Academy Museum trustee Diane von Furstenberg and the Academy Museum have released a video celebrating the women nominees of the 93rd Oscars.&nbsp;

This year’s Oscar women nominees were asked to submit short videos or statements about their film and/or creative process.&nbsp;

Cohost von Furstenberg, designer; Jacqueline Stewart, chief artistic and programming officer, Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, Cynthia Erivo, actor, singer, and producer, and Dawn Hudson, CEO, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, present a video compilation honoring the women nominees of the 93rd Oscars.

The video features:

Maite Alberdi: Documentary Feature, The Mole Agent 
Sophia Nahli Allison: Documentary Short Subject, A Love Song for Latasha 
Maria Bakalova: Actress in a Supporting Role, Borat Subsequent Moviefilm: Delivery of Prodigious Bribe to American Regime for Make Benefit Once Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan 
Garrett Bradley: Documentary Feature, Time 
Genevieve Camilleri: Visual Effects, Love and Monsters 
Peilin Chou: Animated Feature Film, Over the Moon 
Olivia Colman: Actress in a Supporting Role, The Father 
Bina Daigeler: Costume Design, Mulan 
Lauren Domino: Documentary Feature, Time 
Alice Doyard: Documentary Short Subject, Colette 
Janice Duncan: Documentary Short Subject, A Love Song for Latasha 
Coya Elliott: Sound, Soul 
Jena Friedman: Adapted Screenplay, Borat Subsequent Moviefilm: Delivery of Prodigious Bribe to American Regime for Make Benefit Once Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan 
Vanessa Kirby: Actress in a Leading Role, Pieces of a Woman 
Kathy Lucas: Production Design, Tenet 
Dana Murray: Animated Feature Film, Soul 
Mia Neal: Makeup and Hairstyling, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom 
Christina Oh: Best Picture, Minari 
Jan Pascale: Production Design, Mank 
Laura Pausini: Original Song, Io Sì (Seen) from The Life Ahead (La Vita Davanti a Se) 
Susan Ruzenski: Live Action Short Film, Feeling Through 
Sofia Sondervan: Live Action Short Film, The Letter Room 
Claudia Stolze: Makeup and Hairstyling, Emma 
Diane Warren: Original Song, Io Sì (Seen) from The Life Ahead (La Vita Davanti a Se) 
Gigi Williams: Makeup and Hairstyling, Mank 
Yuh-Jung Youn: Actress in a Supporting Role, Minari 
&nbsp;

Oscars this year is going to be different as some 70 women are representing a record total of 76 overall nominations. In honour of this, Academy Museum trustee Diane von Furstenberg and the Academy Museum have released a video celebrating the women nominees of the 93rd Oscars.

Oscars this year is going to be different as some 70 women are representing a record total of 76 overall nominations. In honour of this, Academy Museum trustee Diane von Furstenberg and the Academy Museum have released a video celebrating the women nominees of the 93rd Oscars. This year’s Oscar women nominees were asked to submit short videos or statements about their film and/or creative process. Cohost von Furstenberg, designer; Jacqueline Stewart, chief artistic and programming officer, Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, Cynthia Erivo, actor, singer, and producer, and Dawn Hudson, CEO, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, present a video compilation honoring the women nominees of the 93rd Oscars. The video features: Maite Alberdi: Documentary Feature, The Mole Agent Sophia Nahli Allison: Documentary Short Subject, A Love Song for Latasha Maria Bakalova: Actress in a Supporting Role, Borat Subsequent Moviefilm: Delivery of Prodigious Bribe to American Regime for Make Benefit Once Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan Garrett Bradley: Documentary Feature, Time Genevieve Camilleri: Visual Effects, Love and Monsters Peilin Chou: Animated Feature Film, Over the Moon Olivia Colman: Actress in a Supporting Role, The Father Bina Daigeler: Costume Design, Mulan Lauren Domino: Documentary Feature, Time Alice Doyard: Documentary Short Subject, Colette Janice Duncan: Documentary Short Subject, A Love Song for Latasha Coya Elliott: Sound, Soul Jena Friedman: Adapted Screenplay, Borat Subsequent Moviefilm: Delivery of Prodigious Bribe to American Regime for Make Benefit Once Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan Vanessa Kirby: Actress in a Leading Role, Pieces of a Woman Kathy Lucas: Production Design, Tenet Dana Murray: Animated Feature Film, Soul Mia Neal: Makeup and Hairstyling, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom Christina Oh: Best Picture, Minari Jan Pascale: Production Design, Mank Laura Pausini: Original Song, Io Sì (Seen) from The Life Ahead (La Vita Davanti a Se) Susan Ruzenski: Live Action Short Film, Feeling Through Sofia Sondervan: Live Action Short Film, The Letter Room Claudia Stolze: Makeup and Hairstyling, Emma Diane Warren: Original Song, Io Sì (Seen) from The Life Ahead (La Vita Davanti a Se) Gigi Williams: Makeup and Hairstyling, Mank Yuh-Jung Youn: Actress in a Supporting Role, Minari

Academy Museum celebrates record number of Oscar-nominated women

The 93rd Academy Awards won't make face masks a requirement during its live ceremony on April 25. 
 
According to Variety, the nominees, their guests, A-list presenters and other attendees won't have to cover their famous faces as cameras roll during the telecast this weekend. However, when those in attendance are not on camera, they will be asked to wear their face masks at all times, such as during commercial breaks.&nbsp;

Due to the theatrical nature of the live ceremony, masks won't be required for those shown on camera as the award show will be filmed like a movie, an Academy rep explained during a Monday morning Zoom meeting with nominees and publicists. 
 
Audience capacity will also be capped at 170 people with audience members being rotated in and out of the ceremony.&nbsp;

A third of the Oscars production budget has been allotted to COVID-19 safety protocols, according to The New York Times.

During a virtual press conference held by show producers Jesse Collins, Stacey Sher and Steven Soderbergh, the trio said that the impact of COVID-19 will be highlighted throughout the show and masks will "play a very important role" in the story that the ceremony is trying to convey.

The show's theme is 'Stories Matter,'&nbsp;and those invited will take part in interviews where they'll share their own personal stories to connect each of them at the ceremony.

On the topic of dress code, the producers previously told attendees to avoid casual attire.

The 93rd Academy Awards won't make face masks a requirement during its live ceremony on April 25. According to Variety, the nominees, their guests, A-list presenters and other attendees won't have to cover their famous faces as cameras roll during the telecast this weekend.

The 93rd Academy Awards won't make face masks a requirement during its live ceremony on April 25. According to Variety, the nominees, their guests, A-list presenters and other attendees won't have to cover their famous faces as cameras roll during the telecast this weekend. However, when those in attendance are not on camera, they will be asked to wear their face masks at all times, such as during commercial breaks. Due to the theatrical nature of the live ceremony, masks won't be required for those shown on camera as the award show will be filmed like a movie, an Academy rep explained during a Monday morning Zoom meeting with nominees and publicists. Audience capacity will also be capped at 170 people with audience members being rotated in and out of the ceremony. A third of the Oscars production budget has been allotted to COVID-19 safety protocols, according to The New York Times. During a virtual press conference held by show producers Jesse Collins, Stacey Sher and Steven Soderbergh, the trio said that the impact of COVID-19 will be highlighted throughout the show and masks will "play a very important role" in the story that the ceremony is trying to convey. The show's theme is 'Stories Matter,' and those invited will take part in interviews where they'll share their own personal stories to connect each of them at the ceremony. On the topic of dress code, the producers previously told attendees to avoid casual attire.

Oscars attendees won't be wearing face masks on camera

Survivors of the Srebrenica genocide hope that an Oscar-nominated Bosnian film about the massacre of mainly civilian 8,000 Muslims by Bosnian Serb forces will shed light on the atrocity and help counter denial that genocide occurred. 
 
The July 1995 killings of men and boys in the United Nations-protected eastern Bosnian town shocked the world and have stood out as Europe`s only atrocity since World War Two constituting genocide. 
 
'Quo Vadis, Aida?'&nbsp;('Where are you going Aida?'), by acclaimed Bosnian director Jasmila Zbanic is one of five contenders in the international feature film category for this year`s Oscars. 
 
Shot in silence due to its sensitive theme in ethnically-divided Bosnia, the film depicts how the genocide unfolded through the eyes of a female interpreter working at the United Nations base in Srebrenica. 
 
It was based on a true story by a Bosnian Muslim interpreter who could not save his family. Zbanic chose to tell the story through a woman, Aida, honouring all those women who struggled to save their husbands and sons amid confusion and impotence of UN&nbsp;officials as the Bosnian Serb forces advanced. 
 
"I was strongly disturbed by the film, I found myself again in 1995, amidst the struggle to save my son Nermin," said Munira Subasic, who chairs an association of Srebrenica mothers who lost husbands and sons. 
 
Even though two international courts have declared that the killings constituted genocide and its main masterminds were convicted by a U.N court, most Serbs in Bosnia and Serbia deny it occurred. 
 
"For us, this film is even more than a film," Zbanic said after the Oscar nomination was announced. "This is a reminder that genocide ... must not be denied or forgotten". 
 
Custodians at the Srebrenica Memorial Centre, housed in an old battery factory which served as the UN&nbsp;base during the Bosnian war of 1992-1995, hope the film will raise awareness of the importance of a culture of remembrance. 
 
"A possible Oscar award would stop genocide denial and historic revisionism," said Hasan Hasanovic, who survived the massacre but lost his twin brother and father. 
 
Kada Hotic, who lost 56 relatives in Srebrenica, said the film could do a lot to teach the world about the horrors, sufferings and crimes of war. 
 
"And if the world awards it (an) Oscar, it means the recognition, shame and perhaps prevention from happening it again in the future," Hotic said.

Survivors of the Srebrenica genocide hope that an Oscar-nominated Bosnian film about the massacre of mainly civilian 8,000 Muslims by Bosnian Serb forces will shed light on the atrocity and help counter denial that genocide occurred.

Survivors of the Srebrenica genocide hope that an Oscar-nominated Bosnian film about the massacre of mainly civilian 8,000 Muslims by Bosnian Serb forces will shed light on the atrocity and help counter denial that genocide occurred. The July 1995 killings of men and boys in the United Nations-protected eastern Bosnian town shocked the world and have stood out as Europe`s only atrocity since World War Two constituting genocide. 'Quo Vadis, Aida?' ('Where are you going Aida?'), by acclaimed Bosnian director Jasmila Zbanic is one of five contenders in the international feature film category for this year`s Oscars. Shot in silence due to its sensitive theme in ethnically-divided Bosnia, the film depicts how the genocide unfolded through the eyes of a female interpreter working at the United Nations base in Srebrenica. It was based on a true story by a Bosnian Muslim interpreter who could not save his family. Zbanic chose to tell the story through a woman, Aida, honouring all those women who struggled to save their husbands and sons amid confusion and impotence of UN officials as the Bosnian Serb forces advanced. "I was strongly disturbed by the film, I found myself again in 1995, amidst the struggle to save my son Nermin," said Munira Subasic, who chairs an association of Srebrenica mothers who lost husbands and sons. Even though two international courts have declared that the killings constituted genocide and its main masterminds were convicted by a U.N court, most Serbs in Bosnia and Serbia deny it occurred. "For us, this film is even more than a film," Zbanic said after the Oscar nomination was announced. "This is a reminder that genocide ... must not be denied or forgotten". Custodians at the Srebrenica Memorial Centre, housed in an old battery factory which served as the UN base during the Bosnian war of 1992-1995, hope the film will raise awareness of the importance of a culture of remembrance. "A possible Oscar award would stop genocide denial and historic revisionism," said Hasan Hasanovic, who survived the massacre but lost his twin brother and father. Kada Hotic, who lost 56 relatives in Srebrenica, said the film could do a lot to teach the world about the horrors, sufferings and crimes of war. "And if the world awards it (an) Oscar, it means the recognition, shame and perhaps prevention from happening it again in the future," Hotic said.

Oscar-nominated Bosnian film highlights Srebrenica genocide

'Another Round,'&nbsp;a film about a pact by four world-weary Danish schoolteachers to spend every day drunk for a loosely scientific "experiment," was always going to walk a fine line between comedy and darkness.

Director Thomas Vinterberg wrote his script, originally a play, upon realizing many of the world's great historic feats were made by people regularly intoxicated on alcohol -- the very same substance that can rip lives and families apart.

But four days into shooting, Vinterberg's daughter was killed in a car crash. He somehow still finished the uniquely funny, tender and tragic film -- which has earned him a rare Oscar nomination for best director.&nbsp;

"The movie was always meant to be life-affirming and full of love, and bare to some extent... raw," Vinterberg told AFP in an interview via Zoom.&nbsp;

"But the tragedy that happened in my life left all defenseless and open."

Starring as the teachers are four of Vinterberg's close friends and collaborators, including former 007 villain Mads Mikkelsen, who all spent the shoot doing "everything they could to make me laugh in these circumstances."

"There was so much love on the set -- and I guess you can see that on the screen," said Vinterberg, whose movie is a favorite to take home the Oscar for best international film on Sunday.

While the film is clearly about alcohol, it is also "about living inspired, about forgetting about yourself, about being curious, and being in the moment and all that comes with drinking."

Those life-affirming elements were inspired by his daughter Ida, who was due to play Mikkelsen's daughter, and whose real-life friends play classmates who participate in a joyous teen drinking competition around a lake.

"There's an alarming bunch of people and countries who connected to this thing about drinking," joked Vinterberg.

"Yes, they drink differently in California -- they put the bottle in a [paper] bag -- whereas in Denmark, teenagers run around in the streets with bottles out," he said.

"But it seems that the film connects on a different level, and hopefully we succeeded in elevating this film... to a movie about something more."

- 'My own garden' -

Humor is not always associated with Vinterberg, co-founder of the ascetic Dogme 95 filmmaking movement with Lars Von Trier, and director of movies tackling issues such as child abuse including "The Celebration" and "The Hunt."&nbsp;

But Vinterberg, 51, has often defied categorization. The famous Dogme 95 "manifesto" imposing strict naturalistic limits on directors was always half serious, half tongue-in-cheek.

And while he has dabbled in Hollywood -- for instance 2015's "Far From the Madding Crowd" starring Carey Mulligan, also an Oscar nominee this year -- his most widely acclaimed films are often his most Danish and local.

"It seems like when I dig in my own garden, that's when people really get interested, also abroad," he said.

The universal themes of "Another Round" may partly explain how Vinterberg landed one of just five Oscar best director nods, for a non-English-language film (fellow nominee Lee Isaac Chung's "Minari" is in Korean and English).

"The pleasures of alcohol, but also the destructive side of drinking, have been around for thousands of years, in all cultures almost," said Vinterberg.&nbsp;

The director served his cast booze during rehearsals, and they watched Russian YouTube videos together to observe episodes of extreme inebriation.

"We needed to see these characters being in the zone," he recalled. "It wasn't like they were very drunk, actually, but there was alcohol."

On set, however, everyone was sober, Vinterberg said -- "they had to act, basically, which I think they did well."

Much as the production of "Another Round" is a story of contrasts -- tragedy and camaraderie, humor and philosophy -- the fates of the teachers diverge when the temptation of booze takes hold to varying degrees with each of them.

But the movie itself deliberately "did not want to moralize" or "make an advertisement for alcohol," said Vinterberg.

"Very importantly, I did not want to have a message."

'Another Round,' a film about a pact by four world-weary Danish schoolteachers to spend every day drunk for a loosely scientific "experiment," was always going to walk a fine line between comedy and darkness.

'Another Round,' a film about a pact by four world-weary Danish schoolteachers to spend every day drunk for a loosely scientific "experiment," was always going to walk a fine line between comedy and darkness. Director Thomas Vinterberg wrote his script, originally a play, upon realizing many of the world's great historic feats were made by people regularly intoxicated on alcohol -- the very same substance that can rip lives and families apart. But four days into shooting, Vinterberg's daughter was killed in a car crash. He somehow still finished the uniquely funny, tender and tragic film -- which has earned him a rare Oscar nomination for best director. "The movie was always meant to be life-affirming and full of love, and bare to some extent... raw," Vinterberg told AFP in an interview via Zoom. "But the tragedy that happened in my life left all defenseless and open." Starring as the teachers are four of Vinterberg's close friends and collaborators, including former 007 villain Mads Mikkelsen, who all spent the shoot doing "everything they could to make me laugh in these circumstances." "There was so much love on the set -- and I guess you can see that on the screen," said Vinterberg, whose movie is a favorite to take home the Oscar for best international film on Sunday. While the film is clearly about alcohol, it is also "about living inspired, about forgetting about yourself, about being curious, and being in the moment and all that comes with drinking." Those life-affirming elements were inspired by his daughter Ida, who was due to play Mikkelsen's daughter, and whose real-life friends play classmates who participate in a joyous teen drinking competition around a lake. "There's an alarming bunch of people and countries who connected to this thing about drinking," joked Vinterberg. "Yes, they drink differently in California -- they put the bottle in a [paper] bag -- whereas in Denmark, teenagers run around in the streets with bottles out," he said. "But it seems that the film connects on a different level, and hopefully we succeeded in elevating this film... to a movie about something more." - 'My own garden' - Humor is not always associated with Vinterberg, co-founder of the ascetic Dogme 95 filmmaking movement with Lars Von Trier, and director of movies tackling issues such as child abuse including "The Celebration" and "The Hunt." But Vinterberg, 51, has often defied categorization. The famous Dogme 95 "manifesto" imposing strict naturalistic limits on directors was always half serious, half tongue-in-cheek. And while he has dabbled in Hollywood -- for instance 2015's "Far From the Madding Crowd" starring Carey Mulligan, also an Oscar nominee this year -- his most widely acclaimed films are often his most Danish and local. "It seems like when I dig in my own garden, that's when people really get interested, also abroad," he said. The universal themes of "Another Round" may partly explain how Vinterberg landed one of just five Oscar best director nods, for a non-English-language film (fellow nominee Lee Isaac Chung's "Minari" is in Korean and English). "The pleasures of alcohol, but also the destructive side of drinking, have been around for thousands of years, in all cultures almost," said Vinterberg. The director served his cast booze during rehearsals, and they watched Russian YouTube videos together to observe episodes of extreme inebriation. "We needed to see these characters being in the zone," he recalled. "It wasn't like they were very drunk, actually, but there was alcohol." On set, however, everyone was sober, Vinterberg said -- "they had to act, basically, which I think they did well." Much as the production of "Another Round" is a story of contrasts -- tragedy and camaraderie, humor and philosophy -- the fates of the teachers diverge when the temptation of booze takes hold to varying degrees with each of them. But the movie itself deliberately "did not want to moralize" or "make an advertisement for alcohol," said Vinterberg. "Very importantly, I did not want to have a message."

'Raw' personal loss inspired Vinterberg's Oscar-nominated dark booze comedy

Oscars 2021: Nominees who broke records and can make history with their win

Pets can easily bond with humans, but when a wild octopus befriends a diver and becomes his life coach until its death, that true story scores an Oscar nomination for best documentary.

Human-octopus love story up for best documentary Oscar

Months after the nominees and certain details of the 93rd Academy Awards were announced, the show`s producers- Jesse Collins, Stacey Sher, and Steven Soderbergh spelt out the plans for the ceremony and how the COVID safety procedure would be integrated throughout. 
 
Cinema maniacs have been on their toes since the nominations of the 93rd annual Academy Awards were announced in March by Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Nick Jonas. Following the announcement, certain guidelines and details were also announced to keep the fans updated about the prestigious ceremony to be held on April 25, this year. 
 
Now, the producers of the show- Jesse Collins, Stacey Sher, and Steven Soderbergh have come out to reveal the actual details on how Covid-19 protocols would be integrated into the show`s broadcast while assuring that they are taking every measure to make sure all nominees and participants are safe throughout the three-hour ceremony, reported Deadline. 
 
"The narrative of the evening will be how we have gotten people back to work and what is involved exactly in doing that. There is that sort of strand that is going to run throughout the program of following the science of keeping people safe," said Sher. 
 
"The whole situation has been incredibly fluid in making sure that we are adhering to the guidelines in terms of capacity, and how we are allowed to move people, and how long we are allowed to keep them in certain places. There is no universe in which we are ever going to put anybody at risk," she added. 
 
The 58-year-old film producer also mentioned that she is hoping to combine safety with a show that feels like a glimpse of what is going to be possible when most people are vaccinated and rapid testing is the norm. "Covid is going to be there because it is everywhere. But we want to put it in its place and then sort of move forward," she said. 
 
As for the content of the 93rd Annual Academy Awards itself, producers assured it will be optimistic about the love for and need for the moviegoing experience, with Sher even invoking the announced closure of Arclight Theatres and the venerable Cinerama Dome this week, as per Deadline. 
 
Collins also joined and shared that the show is developing into something they only dreamed it could be and said they have been following Soderbergh`s `manifesto` that states the show will certainly look like a novel, and not at like a TV show. "It will be 24 frames per second, widescreen, with shots designed like movie shots, including over the shoulder," he explained. 
 
With the location for most of the ceremony taking place at Union Station, he told that the room there has been beautifully laid out by David Rockwell- production designer, with a hope to encourage winners to say something meaningful. 
 
Soderbergh was also asked about his own memorable acceptance speech when he won Best Director for Traffic in 2001, something that has been played as a good example at past Oscar nominee lunches to show potential winners what makes a good speech. "I was drunk. That`s not a lie," laughed Soderbergh, who said it was a surreal moment being handed that Oscar by Tom Cruise affecting his whole equilibrium since he had no idea he would possibly win.According to Deadline, Soderbergh also told that wearing a mask throughout the whole ceremony will be important for all the people who will be in attendance. 
 
"Masks will play a very important role in the story of the evening. That topic is very central to the evening," he said without elaborating.The producers also uniformly agreed that the ambitious show they are doing would not have been possible two months ago when the 93rd ceremony was originally planned for February 28th (the date the Golden Globes swooped in and took after AMPAS abandoned it). 
 
"That February date would have been impossible. Things have so improved with the vaccines. It was a great decision to push the show," said Soderbergh.Answering a question as to whether there has been outreach to invite President Biden, who has appeared before on an Oscar cast (to introduce Lady Gaga`s song `Til It Happens to You`), Sher said, "I think they have bigger fish to fry." Also, producers, especially Soderbergh, were terse when answering a question about the use of Zooms like other awards shows have done this year. The answer again to that, as they have repeatedly stated, is `No`. 
 
"We will use satellite hookups," told Soderbergh for those nominees who would not be able to attend the show. "We can control the image, the sound, working it into the overall show [more seamlessly]."The "red carpet" so associated with Oscars and awards shows will be "tiny," as per the Deadline.Producers also announced earlier that all the nominated songs will be performed during a 90-minute pre-show with each track having unique creative elements. 
 
A list of 15 presenters was also revealed earlier this week, but Soderbergh promised two more presenters would be named by the end of the week.Wrapping up the details, Soderbergh also expressed that he wants the Oscar show to be uplifting and hopeful for people, despite the fact that many of the nominated films this year can be construed as depressing or dark in some ways."I hope it doesn`t remind us of the pain and dislocation people have been feeling over the past year. We want to see a potential future," he said. 
 
The Oscar telecast will air live on ABC at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT on Sunday, April 25.

Months after the nominees and certain details of the 93rd Academy Awards were announced, the show`s producers- Jesse Collins, Stacey Sher, and Steven Soderbergh spelt out the plans for the ceremony and how the COVID safety procedure would be integrated throughout.

Months after the nominees and certain details of the 93rd Academy Awards were announced, the show`s producers- Jesse Collins, Stacey Sher, and Steven Soderbergh spelt out the plans for the ceremony and how the COVID safety procedure would be integrated throughout. Cinema maniacs have been on their toes since the nominations of the 93rd annual Academy Awards were announced in March by Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Nick Jonas. Following the announcement, certain guidelines and details were also announced to keep the fans updated about the prestigious ceremony to be held on April 25, this year. Now, the producers of the show- Jesse Collins, Stacey Sher, and Steven Soderbergh have come out to reveal the actual details on how Covid-19 protocols would be integrated into the show`s broadcast while assuring that they are taking every measure to make sure all nominees and participants are safe throughout the three-hour ceremony, reported Deadline. "The narrative of the evening will be how we have gotten people back to work and what is involved exactly in doing that. There is that sort of strand that is going to run throughout the program of following the science of keeping people safe," said Sher. "The whole situation has been incredibly fluid in making sure that we are adhering to the guidelines in terms of capacity, and how we are allowed to move people, and how long we are allowed to keep them in certain places. There is no universe in which we are ever going to put anybody at risk," she added. The 58-year-old film producer also mentioned that she is hoping to combine safety with a show that feels like a glimpse of what is going to be possible when most people are vaccinated and rapid testing is the norm. "Covid is going to be there because it is everywhere. But we want to put it in its place and then sort of move forward," she said. As for the content of the 93rd Annual Academy Awards itself, producers assured it will be optimistic about the love for and need for the moviegoing experience, with Sher even invoking the announced closure of Arclight Theatres and the venerable Cinerama Dome this week, as per Deadline. Collins also joined and shared that the show is developing into something they only dreamed it could be and said they have been following Soderbergh`s `manifesto` that states the show will certainly look like a novel, and not at like a TV show. "It will be 24 frames per second, widescreen, with shots designed like movie shots, including over the shoulder," he explained. With the location for most of the ceremony taking place at Union Station, he told that the room there has been beautifully laid out by David Rockwell- production designer, with a hope to encourage winners to say something meaningful. Soderbergh was also asked about his own memorable acceptance speech when he won Best Director for Traffic in 2001, something that has been played as a good example at past Oscar nominee lunches to show potential winners what makes a good speech. "I was drunk. That`s not a lie," laughed Soderbergh, who said it was a surreal moment being handed that Oscar by Tom Cruise affecting his whole equilibrium since he had no idea he would possibly win.According to Deadline, Soderbergh also told that wearing a mask throughout the whole ceremony will be important for all the people who will be in attendance. "Masks will play a very important role in the story of the evening. That topic is very central to the evening," he said without elaborating.The producers also uniformly agreed that the ambitious show they are doing would not have been possible two months ago when the 93rd ceremony was originally planned for February 28th (the date the Golden Globes swooped in and took after AMPAS abandoned it). "That February date would have been impossible. Things have so improved with the vaccines. It was a great decision to push the show," said Soderbergh.Answering a question as to whether there has been outreach to invite President Biden, who has appeared before on an Oscar cast (to introduce Lady Gaga`s song `Til It Happens to You`), Sher said, "I think they have bigger fish to fry." Also, producers, especially Soderbergh, were terse when answering a question about the use of Zooms like other awards shows have done this year. The answer again to that, as they have repeatedly stated, is `No`. "We will use satellite hookups," told Soderbergh for those nominees who would not be able to attend the show. "We can control the image, the sound, working it into the overall show [more seamlessly]."The "red carpet" so associated with Oscars and awards shows will be "tiny," as per the Deadline.Producers also announced earlier that all the nominated songs will be performed during a 90-minute pre-show with each track having unique creative elements. A list of 15 presenters was also revealed earlier this week, but Soderbergh promised two more presenters would be named by the end of the week.Wrapping up the details, Soderbergh also expressed that he wants the Oscar show to be uplifting and hopeful for people, despite the fact that many of the nominated films this year can be construed as depressing or dark in some ways."I hope it doesn`t remind us of the pain and dislocation people have been feeling over the past year. We want to see a potential future," he said. The Oscar telecast will air live on ABC at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT on Sunday, April 25.

Oscar 2021: Producers disclose plans for show with strict COVID-19 guidelines

Things are looking bright for Disney's animated film 'Soul' as it swept The Annie Awards just days before the&nbsp;Oscars.

With seven overall victories at the ceremony, Soul — which follows jazz musician Joe Gardner (Jamie Foxx) whose spiritual essence traverses the balance between life and death — led this year's winners list with the most overall victories (including one for Best Film), followed closely by Cartoon Saloon's Apple TV+/GKIDS release Wolfwalkers with five (including one for Best Indie Film).

Disney also earned trophies for The Mandalorian's live-action character animation as well as the music in Star Wars: The Clone Wars. Acclaimed musicians Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross, and Jon Batiste claimed prizes for their musical contributions to Soul as well, while actress Eva Whittaker's debut feature performance in Wolfwalkers earned the newcomer a Best Voice Acting accolade at the Annies.

See the full list of 2021 Annie Awards winners:

Best Film 
Soul

Best Indie Film 
Wolfwalkers

Best Special Production 
The Snail and the Whale

Best Short Subject 
Souvenir Souvenir

Best Sponsored 
There's a Monster in My Kitchen

Best TV/Media — Preschool 
The Adventures of Paddington

Best TV/Media — Children 
Hilda

Best TV/Media — General Audience 
Genndy Tartakovsky's Primal

Best Student Film 
La Bestia

Best FX for TV/Media 
Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous (episode: "Welcome to Jurassic World")

Best FX for Feature 
Soul

Best Character Animation — TV/Media 
Hilda

Best Character Animation — Feature 
Soul

Best Character Animation — Live Action 
The Mandalorian

Best Character Animation — Video Game 
Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales

Best Character Design — TV/Media 
Amphibia

Best Character Design — Feature 
Wolfwalkers

Best Direction — TV/Media 
Genndy Tartakovsky's Primal (episode: "Plague of Madness," Genndy Tartakovsky)

Best Direction — Feature 
Wolfwalkers (Tomm Moore, Ross Stewart)

Best Music — TV/Media 
Star Wars: The Clone Wars (episode: "Victory and Death," Kevin Kiner)

Best Music — Feature 
Soul (Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross, Jon Batiste)

Best Production Design — TV/Media 
Shrooom's Odyssey

Best Production Design — Feature 
Wolfwalkers

Best Storyboarding — TV/Media 
Looney Tunes Cartoons

Best Storyboarding — Feature 
Soul

Best Voice Acting — TV/Media 
Tales of Arcadia: Wizards (episode: "Our Final Act," David Bradley)

Best Voice Acting — Feature 
Wolfwalkers (Eva Whittaker)

Best Writing — TV/Media 
Big Mouth (episode: "The New Me," Andrew Goldberg, Patti Harrison)

Best Writing — Feature 
Soul (Pete Docter, Mike Jones, Kemp Powers)

Best Editorial — TV/Media 
Hilda (episode: "Chapter 9 — The Deerfox")

Best Editorial — Feature 
Soul

Things are looking bright for Disney's animated film 'Soul' as it swept The Annie Awards just days before the Oscars. With seven overall victories at the ceremony, Soul — which follows jazz musician Joe Gardner (Jamie Foxx) whose spiritual essence traverses the balance between life and death — led this year's winners list with the most overall victories (including one for Best Film), followed closely by Cartoon Saloon's Apple TV+/GKIDS release Wolfwalkers with five (including one for Best Indie Film).

Things are looking bright for Disney's animated film 'Soul' as it swept The Annie Awards just days before the Oscars. With seven overall victories at the ceremony, Soul — which follows jazz musician Joe Gardner (Jamie Foxx) whose spiritual essence traverses the balance between life and death — led this year's winners list with the most overall victories (including one for Best Film), followed closely by Cartoon Saloon's Apple TV+/GKIDS release Wolfwalkers with five (including one for Best Indie Film). Disney also earned trophies for The Mandalorian's live-action character animation as well as the music in Star Wars: The Clone Wars. Acclaimed musicians Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross, and Jon Batiste claimed prizes for their musical contributions to Soul as well, while actress Eva Whittaker's debut feature performance in Wolfwalkers earned the newcomer a Best Voice Acting accolade at the Annies. See the full list of 2021 Annie Awards winners: Best Film Soul Best Indie Film Wolfwalkers Best Special Production The Snail and the Whale Best Short Subject Souvenir Souvenir Best Sponsored There's a Monster in My Kitchen Best TV/Media — Preschool The Adventures of Paddington Best TV/Media — Children Hilda Best TV/Media — General Audience Genndy Tartakovsky's Primal Best Student Film La Bestia Best FX for TV/Media Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous (episode: "Welcome to Jurassic World") Best FX for Feature Soul Best Character Animation — TV/Media Hilda Best Character Animation — Feature Soul Best Character Animation — Live Action The Mandalorian Best Character Animation — Video Game Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales Best Character Design — TV/Media Amphibia Best Character Design — Feature Wolfwalkers Best Direction — TV/Media Genndy Tartakovsky's Primal (episode: "Plague of Madness," Genndy Tartakovsky) Best Direction — Feature Wolfwalkers (Tomm Moore, Ross Stewart) Best Music — TV/Media Star Wars: The Clone Wars (episode: "Victory and Death," Kevin Kiner) Best Music — Feature Soul (Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross, Jon Batiste) Best Production Design — TV/Media Shrooom's Odyssey Best Production Design — Feature Wolfwalkers Best Storyboarding — TV/Media Looney Tunes Cartoons Best Storyboarding — Feature Soul Best Voice Acting — TV/Media Tales of Arcadia: Wizards (episode: "Our Final Act," David Bradley) Best Voice Acting — Feature Wolfwalkers (Eva Whittaker) Best Writing — TV/Media Big Mouth (episode: "The New Me," Andrew Goldberg, Patti Harrison) Best Writing — Feature Soul (Pete Docter, Mike Jones, Kemp Powers) Best Editorial — TV/Media Hilda (episode: "Chapter 9 — The Deerfox") Best Editorial — Feature Soul

Disney+ Pixar's 'Soul' sweeps the Annie Awards right before Oscars 2021

&nbsp;The Oscars ceremony next week will have the look and feel of a movie, giving winners more time for speeches, while coronavirus masks will play a major role, producers of the show said on Saturday. 
 
The coronavirus pandemic and a trio of new producers have led to a reinvention of the traditional show where the world`s highest movie honours are handed out before a seated theatre audience of more than 4,000 A-list stars and industry executives. 
 
Much of the April 25 ceremony will instead be held at the Art Deco Union Station in downtown Los Angeles, where a stage is being built and where presenters will be doing more than opening an envelope with the winner`s name 
 
<a href="https://www.wionews.com/entertainment/hollywood/news-oscar-winning-producer-guneet-monga-receives-second-highest-civilian-french-honour-377739" hreflang="en">Oscar-winning producer Guneet Monga receives second-highest civilian French honour</a>

 
"It`s not going to be like anything that`s been done before," director Steven Soderbergh, who is producing the show with Stacey Sher and Jesse Collins, told a news conference. Soderbergh, who directed the 2011 movie "Contagion," said the pandemic had "opened up an opportunity to try something that hasn`t been tried." 
 
"We want the show to have a voice," he added. Soderbergh said the ceremony would be shot like a movie, with presenters including Brad Pitt, Harrison Ford and Halle Berry "playing themselves, or at least a version of themselves." 
 
Speeches by Oscar winners were previously limited to around 45 seconds. This year, Soderbergh said, "we`re giving them space. We`ve encouraged them to tell a story, and to say something personal."

<a data-ved="2ahUKEwiLn9yt_4bwAhUacCsKHZhFCDAQxfQBMAF6BAgDEAg" href="https://www.wionews.com/entertainment/power-of-oscars-keeps-romanian-collective-tragedy-in-peoples-minds-says-director-377992" ping="/url?sa=t&amp;source=web&amp;rct=j&amp;url=https://www.wionews.com/entertainment/power-of-oscars-keeps-romanian-collective-tragedy-in-peoples-minds-says-director-377992&amp;ved=2ahUKEwiLn9yt_4bwAhUacCsKHZhFCDAQxfQBMAF6BAgDEAg">Power of Oscars keeps Romanian `Collective` tragedy in people`s minds, says director</a> 
 
The producers said strict testing and COVID protocols would be in place, much of them following standards developed last year to get movie and TV production running again. They also have consulted extensively with epidemiologists who worked 10 years ago on "Contagion," which eerily foreshadowed the devastating effects of a virus on the world and which saw a bump in rentals and streaming last year. 
 
Asked about masks at the ceremony, Soderbergh gave what he called a deliberately cryptic reply. "Masks are going to play a very important role in the story," he said. "That topic is very central to the narrative." Nominees unable to travel to Los Angeles for the ceremony will be able to take part via satellite hookups from venues around the world but there will be no Zoom appearances. 
 
The ceremony will be preceded by a 90-minute pre-show that will include performances of the five original song contenders that were recorded in advance on the roof of the new Academy Museum in Los Angeles, and in Iceland.

The Oscars ceremony next week will have the look and feel of a movie, giving winners more time for speeches, while coronavirus masks will play a major role, producers of the show said on Saturday.

The Oscars ceremony next week will have the look and feel of a movie, giving winners more time for speeches, while coronavirus masks will play a major role, producers of the show said on Saturday. The coronavirus pandemic and a trio of new producers have led to a reinvention of the traditional show where the world`s highest movie honours are handed out before a seated theatre audience of more than 4,000 A-list stars and industry executives. Much of the April 25 ceremony will instead be held at the Art Deco Union Station in downtown Los Angeles, where a stage is being built and where presenters will be doing more than opening an envelope with the winner`s name Oscar-winning producer Guneet Monga receives second-highest civilian French honour "It`s not going to be like anything that`s been done before," director Steven Soderbergh, who is producing the show with Stacey Sher and Jesse Collins, told a news conference. Soderbergh, who directed the 2011 movie "Contagion," said the pandemic had "opened up an opportunity to try something that hasn`t been tried." "We want the show to have a voice," he added. Soderbergh said the ceremony would be shot like a movie, with presenters including Brad Pitt, Harrison Ford and Halle Berry "playing themselves, or at least a version of themselves." Speeches by Oscar winners were previously limited to around 45 seconds. This year, Soderbergh said, "we`re giving them space. We`ve encouraged them to tell a story, and to say something personal." Power of Oscars keeps Romanian `Collective` tragedy in people`s minds, says director The producers said strict testing and COVID protocols would be in place, much of them following standards developed last year to get movie and TV production running again. They also have consulted extensively with epidemiologists who worked 10 years ago on "Contagion," which eerily foreshadowed the devastating effects of a virus on the world and which saw a bump in rentals and streaming last year. Asked about masks at the ceremony, Soderbergh gave what he called a deliberately cryptic reply. "Masks are going to play a very important role in the story," he said. "That topic is very central to the narrative." Nominees unable to travel to Los Angeles for the ceremony will be able to take part via satellite hookups from venues around the world but there will be no Zoom appearances. The ceremony will be preceded by a 90-minute pre-show that will include performances of the five original song contenders that were recorded in advance on the roof of the new Academy Museum in Los Angeles, and in Iceland.

Oscars show reinvented as a movie, with masks and longer speeches

The five songs nominated at this year's Oscars will be performed from the top of the Academy's gleaming new film museum -- and a tiny fishing town in Iceland -- as producers aim to shake up the format of the pandemic-hit ceremony.

'Hamilton' star Leslie Odom Jr will be among those performing from the roof terrace of Los Angeles' still-unopened Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, which has been in development for years but, like the Oscars, saw its launch delayed due to Covid-19.

<a href="http://13.235.153.162/entertainment/love-story-time-takes-incarceration-fight-to-the-oscars-377889" hreflang="en">Love story 'Time' takes incarceration fight to the Oscars</a>

His song "Speak Now" from civil rights drama "One Night in Miami" will form part of a special Oscars pre-show -- as will the ballad "Husavik" from the Will Ferrell comedy "Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga," performed from the Icelandic port of the same name.

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"We've come up with some serious pre-game and post-game action to enhance our main event," Oscar-winning director Steven Soderbergh and his fellow gala co-producers said in a statement Friday.

"Our suggestion is just tune in for the whole shebang, otherwise you'll miss something really unexpected and fun." This year's Oscars are following an "awards-show-as-a-movie" theme, and will primarily be held, with social distancing de rigueur, at Union Station in downtown Los Angeles.

Harrison Ford, Brad Pitt and Reese Witherspoon are among the A-list lineup of presenters, marking the first time Tinseltown's biggest names will gather on the red carpet since last spring.

<a href="http://13.235.153.162/photos/oscars-2021-nominations-the-first-timers-snubs-surprises-370841" hreflang="en">Oscars 2021 nominations: The first timers, snubs, surprises</a>

Venues in Britain and France will also be set up for international nominees unable to travel to Los Angeles. Musical pre-show "Oscars: Into the Spotlight" will also feature performances from multiple Grammy winner H.E.R. and 12-time Oscar song nominee Diane Warren, who have nods this year for "Judas and the Black Messiah" and "The Life Ahead," respectively.

Producers also announced a post-show dubbed "Oscars: After Dark," which will feature the night's big winners having their golden statuettes engraved, along with star interviews.

The 93rd Academy Awards take place on April 25, while the group's museum will open on September 30.&nbsp;

The five songs nominated at this year's Oscars will be performed from the top of the Academy's gleaming new film museum -- and a tiny fishing town in Iceland -- as producers aim to shake up the format of the pandemic-hit ceremony.

The five songs nominated at this year's Oscars will be performed from the top of the Academy's gleaming new film museum -- and a tiny fishing town in Iceland -- as producers aim to shake up the format of the pandemic-hit ceremony. 'Hamilton' star Leslie Odom Jr will be among those performing from the roof terrace of Los Angeles' still-unopened Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, which has been in development for years but, like the Oscars, saw its launch delayed due to Covid-19. Love story 'Time' takes incarceration fight to the Oscars His song "Speak Now" from civil rights drama "One Night in Miami" will form part of a special Oscars pre-show -- as will the ballad "Husavik" from the Will Ferrell comedy "Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga," performed from the Icelandic port of the same name. Oscars 2021: 'Minari', 'Nomadland', here's how to watch all Best Film nominees in India "We've come up with some serious pre-game and post-game action to enhance our main event," Oscar-winning director Steven Soderbergh and his fellow gala co-producers said in a statement Friday. "Our suggestion is just tune in for the whole shebang, otherwise you'll miss something really unexpected and fun." This year's Oscars are following an "awards-show-as-a-movie" theme, and will primarily be held, with social distancing de rigueur, at Union Station in downtown Los Angeles. Harrison Ford, Brad Pitt and Reese Witherspoon are among the A-list lineup of presenters, marking the first time Tinseltown's biggest names will gather on the red carpet since last spring. Oscars 2021 nominations: The first timers, snubs, surprises Venues in Britain and France will also be set up for international nominees unable to travel to Los Angeles. Musical pre-show "Oscars: Into the Spotlight" will also feature performances from multiple Grammy winner H.E.R. and 12-time Oscar song nominee Diane Warren, who have nods this year for "Judas and the Black Messiah" and "The Life Ahead," respectively. Producers also announced a post-show dubbed "Oscars: After Dark," which will feature the night's big winners having their golden statuettes engraved, along with star interviews. The 93rd Academy Awards take place on April 25, while the group's museum will open on September 30.

Oscar-nominated songs to be performed from LA museum roof and Iceland

Garrett Bradley`s award-winning documentary 'Time'&nbsp;may be about incarceration, but, according to the director, it`s really a love story. 
 
The Oscar-nominated film follows Fox Rich over several decades as she fights for her jailed husband Rob, serving a 60-year sentence for a bank robbery the couple carried out in the 1990s, to be released from prison in Louisiana.&nbsp; 
 
"I went into the project with the intention of ... extending the conversation around incarceration from a woman`s point of view, from a family`s point of view," Bradley told Reuters in an interview from California. 
 
"I would say that `Time` is first and foremost a love story that`s rooted in Fox Rich, the family matriarch who dedicates... 21 years of her life and her family`s life to re-uniting her family." 
 
Following a previous film on the same theme, Bradley began filming "Time" with Rich and her sons in 2017 with the aim of releasing a 13-minute short. 
On the last day, Rich, who served a three-and-a-half-year sentence for the robbery, gave her more than 100 hours of her own footage to use. 
 
The result is old video diaries woven in with recent material, in which Rich is seen caring for her family over the years without her husband around. 
"I like to think that there isn`t anything in the film that doesn`t speak to love and to unity and self-definition," Bradley said. 
 
"If there is anything that people take away from the film ... I would ask that it be forgiveness because I think that forgiveness is something that everybody can relate to."&nbsp; 
 
Bradley said she believed there was nothing to be gained from having people behind bars their entire life, and hoped her film shone a light on the issue. 
The film has won several awards including best director for Bradley in the U.S. documentary category at the Sundance Film Festival last year. It is in the running for an Oscar for best documentary feature.

Garrett Bradley`s award-winning documentary 'Time' may be about incarceration, but, according to the director, it`s really a love story. The Oscar-nominated film follows Fox Rich over several decades as she fights for her jailed husband Rob, serving a 60-year sentence for a bank robbery the couple carried out in the 1990s, to be released from prison in Louisiana.

Garrett Bradley`s award-winning documentary 'Time' may be about incarceration, but, according to the director, it`s really a love story. The Oscar-nominated film follows Fox Rich over several decades as she fights for her jailed husband Rob, serving a 60-year sentence for a bank robbery the couple carried out in the 1990s, to be released from prison in Louisiana. "I went into the project with the intention of ... extending the conversation around incarceration from a woman`s point of view, from a family`s point of view," Bradley told Reuters in an interview from California. "I would say that `Time` is first and foremost a love story that`s rooted in Fox Rich, the family matriarch who dedicates... 21 years of her life and her family`s life to re-uniting her family." Following a previous film on the same theme, Bradley began filming "Time" with Rich and her sons in 2017 with the aim of releasing a 13-minute short. On the last day, Rich, who served a three-and-a-half-year sentence for the robbery, gave her more than 100 hours of her own footage to use. The result is old video diaries woven in with recent material, in which Rich is seen caring for her family over the years without her husband around. "I like to think that there isn`t anything in the film that doesn`t speak to love and to unity and self-definition," Bradley said. "If there is anything that people take away from the film ... I would ask that it be forgiveness because I think that forgiveness is something that everybody can relate to." Bradley said she believed there was nothing to be gained from having people behind bars their entire life, and hoped her film shone a light on the issue. The film has won several awards including best director for Bradley in the U.S. documentary category at the Sundance Film Festival last year. It is in the running for an Oscar for best documentary feature.

Love story 'Time' takes incarceration fight to the Oscars

Romanian director Alexander Nanau says a double Oscar nomination for his documentary Collective&nbsp;means a tragic 2015 nightclub fire and subsequent healthcare scandal at the heart of the film "will not be forgotten". 
 
Sixty-five people died after fireworks used during a concert at The Collective nightclub in Bucharest ignited non-fireproofed insulation foam, triggering a stampede. 
 
The film follows journalist Catalin Tolontan, whose investigations revealed badly burned victims who were taken to hospital and treated in improper conditions, with inadequate cleaning products linked to many of their deaths. Many of the survivors contracted infections in the hospital which are still affecting their recovery.

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The fire sparked nationwide protests against corruption and lack of accountability in Romania, which has one of the European Union’s least developed healthcare systems. 
 
The Colectiv club owners and local officials were put on trial, while Tolontan`s investigations also led to a more general case about the use of diluted disinfectants in Romanian hospitals. Both trials resulted in prison sentences being handed out in 2019 but they were not final and have been appealed. 
 
"For us it was most of all a satisfaction to know that the story will not be forgotten because the Oscars really bring an attention to the film that is unprecedented, basically for any film that gets nominated," Nanau told Reuters.

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"Collective" is in the running for best international feature film and best documentary feature at the Oscars. Nanau said one grieving father had posted a letter to his deceased son on social media on the day the nominations were revealed. 
 
"We couldn`t find the ways to help you back then, but at least we are happy now that this story will not be forgotten and most of all, that other people can learn from what we went through," Nanau said, quoting the letter. 
 
"Hopefully all we want for other people is not to go through the same things and understand how power works, how manipulation works." 
Nanau said he planned to travel to Los Angeles for the April 25 ceremony. "We are in constant contact with the production team ... The whole ceremony will be treated as a film set ... and I think that should make it safe, it should be fine."

Romanian director Alexander Nanau says a double Oscar nomination for his documentary Collective means a tragic 2015 nightclub fire and subsequent healthcare scandal at the heart of the film "will not be forgotten".

Romanian director Alexander Nanau says a double Oscar nomination for his documentary Collective means a tragic 2015 nightclub fire and subsequent healthcare scandal at the heart of the film "will not be forgotten". Sixty-five people died after fireworks used during a concert at The Collective nightclub in Bucharest ignited non-fireproofed insulation foam, triggering a stampede. The film follows journalist Catalin Tolontan, whose investigations revealed badly burned victims who were taken to hospital and treated in improper conditions, with inadequate cleaning products linked to many of their deaths. Many of the survivors contracted infections in the hospital which are still affecting their recovery. Oscars 2021: 'Minari', 'Nomadland', here's how to watch all Best Film nominees in India The fire sparked nationwide protests against corruption and lack of accountability in Romania, which has one of the European Union’s least developed healthcare systems. The Colectiv club owners and local officials were put on trial, while Tolontan`s investigations also led to a more general case about the use of diluted disinfectants in Romanian hospitals. Both trials resulted in prison sentences being handed out in 2019 but they were not final and have been appealed. "For us it was most of all a satisfaction to know that the story will not be forgotten because the Oscars really bring an attention to the film that is unprecedented, basically for any film that gets nominated," Nanau told Reuters. Oscars: The most shocking outfits on the red carpet over the years "Collective" is in the running for best international feature film and best documentary feature at the Oscars. Nanau said one grieving father had posted a letter to his deceased son on social media on the day the nominations were revealed. "We couldn`t find the ways to help you back then, but at least we are happy now that this story will not be forgotten and most of all, that other people can learn from what we went through," Nanau said, quoting the letter. "Hopefully all we want for other people is not to go through the same things and understand how power works, how manipulation works." Nanau said he planned to travel to Los Angeles for the April 25 ceremony. "We are in constant contact with the production team ... The whole ceremony will be treated as a film set ... and I think that should make it safe, it should be fine."

Power of Oscars keeps Romanian 'Collective' tragedy in people's minds, says director

The Oscars are the glitziest night of the year in Hollywood and millions across the globe tune in, but they threaten to be a dud in China after the nomination of a Hong Kong protest documentary.

Beijing-born filmmaker Chloe Zhao, who is touted to win big for her acclaimed American road movie "Nomadland", has also faced criticism back home after some questioned her loyalty to China.

The country has spent years "pining for Hollywood accolades", according to entertainment magazine Variety, and state broadcaster China Central Television (CCTV) has shown the awards live or on a delay since 2003. Online platforms in China, the world's fastest-growing movie market, have also streamed the Oscars in the past.

<a href="http://13.235.153.162/photos/oscars-2021-minari-nomadland-heres-how-to-watch-all-best-film-nominees-in-india-376284" hreflang="en">Oscars 2021: 'Minari', 'Nomadland', here's how to watch all Best Film nominees in India</a>

But Bloomberg News reported last month that the ruling Communist Party's propaganda department has ordered state-controlled media to play down the 93rd Academy Awards and also not show them live on April 25. In Hong Kong, where Beijing is greatly tightening its grasp, the Oscars will not be televised for the first time in more than half a century, with broadcaster TVB saying it was "purely a commercial decision".

Chinese state media has taken aim at the Oscars in recent weeks and in particular "Do Not Split", about Hong Kong's pro-democracy protests.

Just days after its nomination in the short documentary category, the state-run Global Times made clear China's disdain, saying the film "lacks artistry and is full of biased political stances". "Such movies, if they win awards, will hurt the feelings of Chinese audiences," said the newspaper, warning: "This will also dent the Oscars' reputation among Chinese moviegoers."

<a href="http://13.235.153.162/photos/oscars-the-most-shocking-outfits-on-the-red-carpet-over-the-years-277841" hreflang="en">Oscars: The most shocking outfits on the red carpet over the years</a>

Another Global Times piece saw a Beijing-based film critic say that "the Oscars have lost their purity in the pursuit of the art of film and are more close to a political stand".

Anders Hammer, who made "Do Not Split", told AFP that he was delighted by the reaction. "Beijing has helped us a lot," said the Norwegian. "The main aim of making a documentary is not to win the Oscar but to bring attention to the critical situation in Hong Kong. "We have received so much more attention."

- Boycott threat -

The director Zhao, who looks set to be a central figure at the Oscars, has also found herself in hot water in China. The 39-year-old's "Nomadland" -- which peers into the soul of America -- has six nominations including best picture, best director and best actress for Frances McDormand.

The movie has already hoovered up an array of awards, including at the Golden Globes for best drama film and best director. Zhao was the first female director to win best drama and state media hailed her as "the pride of China".

But that soon gave way to a nationalist backlash after social media users dug up old interviews in which she appeared to criticise the land of her birth. Chinese film authorities had approved her film for domestic release on April 23 but that now appears to be in doubt.

'Chloe Zhao's Oscar nominations for 'Nomadland' may not earn her forgiveness in China," the Global Times said in a headline, citing "experts". One said Chinese movie-goers might even boycott the film. On Douban, a popular online platform where films are rated and reviewed, the Oscar nominations and winners for every year since 1929 are listed. But not this year's.

"Do Not Split" does however get a mention in a message board on the platform, with one user writing: "Is this the best the Oscars can do?" Another called its nomination "disgusting".

The Oscars are the glitziest night of the year in Hollywood and millions across the globe tune in, but they threaten to be a dud in China after the nomination of a Hong Kong protest documentary.

The Oscars are the glitziest night of the year in Hollywood and millions across the globe tune in, but they threaten to be a dud in China after the nomination of a Hong Kong protest documentary. Beijing-born filmmaker Chloe Zhao, who is touted to win big for her acclaimed American road movie "Nomadland", has also faced criticism back home after some questioned her loyalty to China. The country has spent years "pining for Hollywood accolades", according to entertainment magazine Variety, and state broadcaster China Central Television (CCTV) has shown the awards live or on a delay since 2003. Online platforms in China, the world's fastest-growing movie market, have also streamed the Oscars in the past. Oscars 2021: 'Minari', 'Nomadland', here's how to watch all Best Film nominees in India But Bloomberg News reported last month that the ruling Communist Party's propaganda department has ordered state-controlled media to play down the 93rd Academy Awards and also not show them live on April 25. In Hong Kong, where Beijing is greatly tightening its grasp, the Oscars will not be televised for the first time in more than half a century, with broadcaster TVB saying it was "purely a commercial decision". Chinese state media has taken aim at the Oscars in recent weeks and in particular "Do Not Split", about Hong Kong's pro-democracy protests. Just days after its nomination in the short documentary category, the state-run Global Times made clear China's disdain, saying the film "lacks artistry and is full of biased political stances". "Such movies, if they win awards, will hurt the feelings of Chinese audiences," said the newspaper, warning: "This will also dent the Oscars' reputation among Chinese moviegoers." Oscars: The most shocking outfits on the red carpet over the years Another Global Times piece saw a Beijing-based film critic say that "the Oscars have lost their purity in the pursuit of the art of film and are more close to a political stand". Anders Hammer, who made "Do Not Split", told AFP that he was delighted by the reaction. "Beijing has helped us a lot," said the Norwegian. "The main aim of making a documentary is not to win the Oscar but to bring attention to the critical situation in Hong Kong. "We have received so much more attention." - Boycott threat - The director Zhao, who looks set to be a central figure at the Oscars, has also found herself in hot water in China. The 39-year-old's "Nomadland" -- which peers into the soul of America -- has six nominations including best picture, best director and best actress for Frances McDormand. The movie has already hoovered up an array of awards, including at the Golden Globes for best drama film and best director. Zhao was the first female director to win best drama and state media hailed her as "the pride of China". But that soon gave way to a nationalist backlash after social media users dug up old interviews in which she appeared to criticise the land of her birth. Chinese film authorities had approved her film for domestic release on April 23 but that now appears to be in doubt. 'Chloe Zhao's Oscar nominations for 'Nomadland' may not earn her forgiveness in China," the Global Times said in a headline, citing "experts". One said Chinese movie-goers might even boycott the film. On Douban, a popular online platform where films are rated and reviewed, the Oscar nominations and winners for every year since 1929 are listed. But not this year's. "Do Not Split" does however get a mention in a message board on the platform, with one user writing: "Is this the best the Oscars can do?" Another called its nomination "disgusting".

Oscars set to flop in China as Hollywood, politics collide

Danish actor Mads Mikkelsen says his new movie 'Another Round'&nbsp;became the most important thing he had ever done following the death of director Thomas Vinterberg`s daughter four days after the shooting began in 2019. 
 
Mikkelsen has been nominated for a best leading actor BAFTA for the movie and Vinterberg for the best director Oscar. The film has also been nominated in the foreign language categories at this year`s Oscars and BAFTAs. 
 
Vinterberg`s daughter Ida, who was due to make her acting debut in 'Another Round', died in a car accident, aged 19, as filming commenced. 
"It`s been a brutal and heartbreaking journey that ended up with a beautiful film. Obviously, the price for that is too big but I think we are all really pleased that we can hail Ida through these nominations," said Mikkelsen. 
 
"We had a meeting, all of the actors and the writer and we sat down once Thomas decided that he wanted to continue with the film, to honour Ida," he said. "It just became the most important thing any of us had ever done, I think." 
 
"Another Round" follows a group of teachers who make a pact to drink a certain amount of alcohol every day in the hope it will improve their lives. Their decision impacts their own lives and those of their students, family and friends. 
 
"It`s an interesting thing because kids have been watching it and watching themselves up there. We`ve had anonymous alcoholics watching it and thinking the film was about them. We`ve had people my age identifying the dilemmas. So, I think you are taking out whatever you want to take out but in Thomas`s and my world it is a film about reclaiming your life, it is never too late," Mikkelsen said. 
 
Vinterberg and Mikkelsen previously collaborated on "The Hunt" which was nominated for a foreign film Oscar and Golden Globe award in 2014. 
Mikkelsen, 55, is known for playing serial killer Hannibal Lecter in the U.S. television series "Hannibal" and parts in action movies "Doctor Strange" and "Casino Royale" and independent films such as "At Eternity`s Gate" and "Arctic". 
 
He is currently filming the third movie in the "Fantastic Beasts" franchise in place of Johnny Depp, and has been attached to the upcoming Cold War drama "The Billion Dollar Spy". 
 
"I did this film ("Another Round") a year and a half ago and then in between that and now I`ve done a couple of big blockbuster films. And going back and forth is like the best scenario I can dream of," he said.

Danish actor Mads Mikkelsen says his new movie 'Another Round' became the most important thing he had ever done following the death of director Thomas Vinterberg`s daughter four days after the shooting began in 2019.

Danish actor Mads Mikkelsen says his new movie 'Another Round' became the most important thing he had ever done following the death of director Thomas Vinterberg`s daughter four days after the shooting began in 2019. Mikkelsen has been nominated for a best leading actor BAFTA for the movie and Vinterberg for the best director Oscar. The film has also been nominated in the foreign language categories at this year`s Oscars and BAFTAs. Vinterberg`s daughter Ida, who was due to make her acting debut in 'Another Round', died in a car accident, aged 19, as filming commenced. "It`s been a brutal and heartbreaking journey that ended up with a beautiful film. Obviously, the price for that is too big but I think we are all really pleased that we can hail Ida through these nominations," said Mikkelsen. "We had a meeting, all of the actors and the writer and we sat down once Thomas decided that he wanted to continue with the film, to honour Ida," he said. "It just became the most important thing any of us had ever done, I think." "Another Round" follows a group of teachers who make a pact to drink a certain amount of alcohol every day in the hope it will improve their lives. Their decision impacts their own lives and those of their students, family and friends. "It`s an interesting thing because kids have been watching it and watching themselves up there. We`ve had anonymous alcoholics watching it and thinking the film was about them. We`ve had people my age identifying the dilemmas. So, I think you are taking out whatever you want to take out but in Thomas`s and my world it is a film about reclaiming your life, it is never too late," Mikkelsen said. Vinterberg and Mikkelsen previously collaborated on "The Hunt" which was nominated for a foreign film Oscar and Golden Globe award in 2014. Mikkelsen, 55, is known for playing serial killer Hannibal Lecter in the U.S. television series "Hannibal" and parts in action movies "Doctor Strange" and "Casino Royale" and independent films such as "At Eternity`s Gate" and "Arctic". He is currently filming the third movie in the "Fantastic Beasts" franchise in place of Johnny Depp, and has been attached to the upcoming Cold War drama "The Billion Dollar Spy". "I did this film ("Another Round") a year and a half ago and then in between that and now I`ve done a couple of big blockbuster films. And going back and forth is like the best scenario I can dream of," he said.

Mads Mikkelsen makes heartbreaking journey with 'Another Round'

If you thought being an Oscars nominee is enough to get you to attend the Academy Awards, then you are in for a disappointment, just like&nbsp;Rosie Perez. The actress hasn't made an appearance at the Oscars ceremony since she was nominated for an award almost three decades ago.

In an interview with Variety, the 56-year-old 'Do the Right Thing'&nbsp;star said that she's hurt the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has yet to invite her back to the event since she attended in 1994 as a Best Supporting Actress nominee for 1993's Fearless.&nbsp;

"Not even to sit in the audience, not to present, nothing—and I'm a member," Rosie said. "I love the Academy Awards. I cheer on my peers, but it hurts. It's like when your home team doesn't ask you to come back into the stadium after you got up to bat and hit the home run."

The actress, who is of Puerto Rican descent, explained that it has been tough to deal with prejudice and racism as a woman of colour in the industry.

"The biggest struggle has been navigating through other people's shortcomings," Perez says. "Other people's bigotry, racism—and specifically the ones that don't understand that they are bigots or racists."

Rosie&nbsp;maintained a long and successful career since her breakout role in Spike Lee's 1989 drama Do the Right Thing, which was nominated for two Oscars.

Since then, her notable films include White Men Can't Jump (1992), Untamed Heart (1993), It Could Happen to You (1994), Pineapple Express (2008) and Birds of Prey (2020).

If you thought being an Oscars nominee is enough to get you to attend the Academy Awards, then you are in for a disappointment, just like Rosie Perez. The actress hasn't made an appearance at the Oscars ceremony since she was nominated for an award almost three decades ago.

If you thought being an Oscars nominee is enough to get you to attend the Academy Awards, then you are in for a disappointment, just like Rosie Perez. The actress hasn't made an appearance at the Oscars ceremony since she was nominated for an award almost three decades ago. In an interview with Variety, the 56-year-old 'Do the Right Thing' star said that she's hurt the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has yet to invite her back to the event since she attended in 1994 as a Best Supporting Actress nominee for 1993's Fearless. "Not even to sit in the audience, not to present, nothing—and I'm a member," Rosie said. "I love the Academy Awards. I cheer on my peers, but it hurts. It's like when your home team doesn't ask you to come back into the stadium after you got up to bat and hit the home run." The actress, who is of Puerto Rican descent, explained that it has been tough to deal with prejudice and racism as a woman of colour in the industry. "The biggest struggle has been navigating through other people's shortcomings," Perez says. "Other people's bigotry, racism—and specifically the ones that don't understand that they are bigots or racists." Rosie maintained a long and successful career since her breakout role in Spike Lee's 1989 drama Do the Right Thing, which was nominated for two Oscars. Since then, her notable films include White Men Can't Jump (1992), Untamed Heart (1993), It Could Happen to You (1994), Pineapple Express (2008) and Birds of Prey (2020).

Rosie Perez says it 'hurts' to never been invited back to the Oscars since her 1994 nomination

Anthony Hopkin starrer&nbsp;&nbsp;'The Father', which has been nominated in six categories at the 93rd Academy Awards, is set to release in India on April 23. The Hollywood drama has been&nbsp;directed by Florian Zeller and also stars&nbsp;Olivia Colman and Mark Gatiss. 
 
'The Father'&nbsp;is in contention at the Oscars in the categories of Best Film, Best Actor (for Anthony Hopkins), Best Supporting Actress (Olivia Colman), Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Editing and Best Production Design. 
 
The film narrates the tale of an ageing man who battles dementia. When his caring daughter is forced to choose between the ailing parent and moving to Paris with her newfound love, the father-daughter duo`s bond is put to test. 
 
Adapted from the critically acclaimed play "Le Pere", the film takes a look how the lines between reality and delusion blur as progressing memory loss take over. 
 
The film is released to be here by PVR Pictures. 
 
&nbsp;

Anthony Hopkin starrer 'The Father', which has been nominated in six categories at the 93rd Academy Awards, is set to release in India on April 23. The Hollywood drama has been directed by Florian Zeller and also stars Olivia Colman and Mark Gatiss.

Anthony Hopkin starrer 'The Father', which has been nominated in six categories at the 93rd Academy Awards, is set to release in India on April 23. The Hollywood drama has been directed by Florian Zeller and also stars Olivia Colman and Mark Gatiss. 'The Father' is in contention at the Oscars in the categories of Best Film, Best Actor (for Anthony Hopkins), Best Supporting Actress (Olivia Colman), Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Editing and Best Production Design. The film narrates the tale of an ageing man who battles dementia. When his caring daughter is forced to choose between the ailing parent and moving to Paris with her newfound love, the father-daughter duo`s bond is put to test. Adapted from the critically acclaimed play "Le Pere", the film takes a look how the lines between reality and delusion blur as progressing memory loss take over. The film is released to be here by PVR Pictures.

Oscar-nominated 'The Father' to release in India on this date

Relief for Guillermo del Toro, award-winning filmmaker who directed Oscar film ‘Shape of Water’ as he has won the plagiarism case against his film. Allegations of plagiarism came to light when the family of Pulitzer Prize-winning author Paul Zindel filed a lawsuit alleging that the movie was taken from Zindel’s play.&nbsp;

The lawsuit was filed in 2018. At the time, Guillermo del Toro’s ‘The Shape of Water's Oscar nominations included 13 Academy Awards categories and it won Best Picture and Best Director awards among other awards.&nbsp;

‘The Shape of Water’ and author Zindel’s ‘Let Me Hear You Whisper’ have similar plots centred on a creature imprisoned in a science research facility. The original lawsuit was rejected by US District Court Judge Percy Anderson who stated, “The basic premise of an employee at a scientific facility deciding to free a creature that is subjected to scientific experiments” is “too general to be protected”. The copyright claim was revived in June last year as the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals felt that “additional evidence, including expert testimony, would aid in the objective literary analysis needed to determine” the similarities between The Shape of Water and Let Me Hear You Whisper.

Also, a spokesperson for Searchlight Pictures claimed in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter that David Zindel, the son of Paul Zindel, author of Let Me Hear You Whisper’ has acknowledged, based on confidential information obtained during the litigation process, that his claims of plagiarism are unfounded. The report states that the author’s family acknowledges that Guillermo del Toro is the true creator of ‘The Shape of Water’.&nbsp;

Relief for Guillermo del Toro, award-winning filmmaker who directed Oscar film ‘Shape of Water’ as he has won the plagiarism case against his film. Allegations of plagiarism came to light when the family of Pulitzer Prize-winning author Paul Zindel filed a lawsuit alleging that the movie was taken from Zindel’s play.

Relief for Guillermo del Toro, award-winning filmmaker who directed Oscar film ‘Shape of Water’ as he has won the plagiarism case against his film. Allegations of plagiarism came to light when the family of Pulitzer Prize-winning author Paul Zindel filed a lawsuit alleging that the movie was taken from Zindel’s play. The lawsuit was filed in 2018. At the time, Guillermo del Toro’s ‘The Shape of Water's Oscar nominations included 13 Academy Awards categories and it won Best Picture and Best Director awards among other awards. ‘The Shape of Water’ and author Zindel’s ‘Let Me Hear You Whisper’ have similar plots centred on a creature imprisoned in a science research facility. The original lawsuit was rejected by US District Court Judge Percy Anderson who stated, “The basic premise of an employee at a scientific facility deciding to free a creature that is subjected to scientific experiments” is “too general to be protected”. The copyright claim was revived in June last year as the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals felt that “additional evidence, including expert testimony, would aid in the objective literary analysis needed to determine” the similarities between The Shape of Water and Let Me Hear You Whisper. Also, a spokesperson for Searchlight Pictures claimed in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter that David Zindel, the son of Paul Zindel, author of Let Me Hear You Whisper’ has acknowledged, based on confidential information obtained during the litigation process, that his claims of plagiarism are unfounded. The report states that the author’s family acknowledges that Guillermo del Toro is the true creator of ‘The Shape of Water’.

Guillermo del Toro wins plagiarism case for his Oscar-winning film 'Shape of Water'

For her 60th birthday, veteran Korean star Yuh-Jung Youn made herself a promise. She would collaborate only with those she trusts. Even if their ventures fell short, as long as she personally appreciated the people making them, the result wouldn’t much concern her.

That late-life philosophy, born of decades of limited choices and professional trauma, brought her to 'Minari,'&nbsp;director Lee Isaac Chung’s semi-autobiographical story about a Korean family putting down roots in Arkansas. Youn’s bittersweet performance as the grandmother, Soonja, in the tenderhearted immigrant drama has earned her an Academy Award nomination for best supporting actress, the first for a Korean actress.

“Me, a 73-year-old Asian woman could have never even dreamed about being nominated for an Oscar,” Youn said via video call from her home in Seoul. “‘Minari’ brought me a lot of gifts.”

As she recounted this triumph and the many pitfalls that preceded it, her pensive expression often broke into an affable smile, cheerful laughter even. Dressed in a demure black top and long necklace, there was an effortless grace to her serene presence. She came off unhurried and welcoming but determined to make her ideas understood. Occasionally she asked a friend off-camera for help with certain English words to hit each point more precisely.

She expressed surprise at the fact that co-star Steven Yeun was the first Asian American performer to receive a nomination for best actor: “All I can say is: It’s about time! The success of ‘Parasite’ has definitely helped” get more recognition for Korean performers, she said.

That movie, directed by Bong Joon Ho, was the first not in English to win best picture, and it has figured into Youn’s Oscar run in other ways.

She had returned from shooting a new project in Vancouver, British Columbia, an Apple TV drama titled “Pachinko,” just in time to hear the announcement of her nomination. First, she felt numb. Then the Korean news media began effusively reporting on her chances. “It’s very stressful. They think I’m a soccer player or an Olympian,” she said, adding, “That pressure is really hard on me.” Because of Bong’s movie, “they have hope I can win. I keep telling him, ‘It’s all because of you!’”

Bong, a fan of Kim Ki-young’s “Woman of Fire,” the 1971 film in which Youn made her feature debut, envied her awards-season experience during the pandemic. “He told me, ‘You’re lucky you can just sit down and do Zoom calls. In America they have an awards race and you have to go here and there and everywhere.’ I thought running races were only for horses,” she said.

She’s making a strong push to the finish. Youn is nominated at Sunday’s SAG Awards for her performance and as part of the “Minari” ensemble. She’s also up for an Independent Spirit Award later this month. And she’s already won accolades from more than 20 groups of critics.

They’re the latest turn in a career that covers more than 50 years in Korean television and film — including a recent cooking reality show titled “Youn’s Kitchen” and a new nonfiction series set in a guesthouse, “Youn’s Stay” — but the self-taught thespian never envisioned a life in the performing arts. Her international breakthrough seems to her, like everything else along the way, fortuitous.

“It’s embarrassing,” she said. “Most people fell in love with the movies or fell in love with theater. But in my case, it was just an accident.”

When she was a teenager in the early 1960s, an emcee for a children’s game show saw her touring a TV station and invited her to pass out gifts to the audience: “I got the check after that, and it was good money.” Similar jobs ensued until a director suggested she audition for a drama. Although she was hesitant, necessity propelled her: She had failed her college entrance exam, causing her mother profound shame.

“To tell you the truth, I didn’t know what acting was,” she said. “I tried to memorize the line and do whatever they asked me to do. At the time, I didn’t know if I was enjoying it or if I disliked it.”

But as she was on the rise in the mid-1970s, Youn married and moved to Florida, where her husband attended a university. She spent nearly a decade as a housewife raising her two American-born children, but then she divorced and returned to Korea as a single mother. Her fame had vanished, and ingrained sexism in Korean society made resuming her career a cruel pursuit. “The audience would call and say, ‘She is a divorcee. She shouldn’t be on television,’” she recalled, adding, “Now they like me very much. That’s very strange, but that’s human.”

To put her two sons through college, she accepted parts almost indiscriminately. But turning 60 — and no longer obligated to financially support her family — meant she could invest only in people she believed in, such as auteur Hong Sang-soo, who occasionally frustrates her for the many takes he requests, and Im Sang-soo, who cast her in roles unheard of for a Korean actress of her age. In “The Taste of Money” (2013), for example, Youn embodies a powerful woman who sexually harasses her younger male secretary.

Youn’s close friend In-Ah Lee, a producer, introduced her to Chung at a film festival in Busan. Chung, like Bong, revered her in “Woman of Fire,” and his knowledge or her early work impressed her. She wanted to know more about him. “Everybody teases me about this now,” she said. “I fell in love with Isaac because he is a very quiet man. I wish he was my son too.”

In every film, Chung said via email, “she does something that is surprising or unexpected. I felt her own life and approach to life were very close to the part I had written.” He added that the actress is known in South Korea for her big heart and no-nonsense manner, and he knew she would bring those qualities to the “Minari” role “in a way that invites audiences in.”

Writing for The Nation, critic Kristen Yoonsoo Kim said Youn “steals the spotlight; even as she leans toward caricature, her Soonja brings much-needed humor and vitality to a drama that could otherwise sink easily into the dour.” (Kim’s reviews also appear in The New York Times.)

When Youn read the script, the perils of the Korean American experience and how it doesn’t fit neatly into a single identity resonated with her. “Maybe I did this movie for my two sons too, because I knew their feelings,” she said.

Chung won her over when she asked if he wanted her to imitate his grandmother and he replied that wasn’t his objective. She valued the freedom to create a character beyond what was on the page. Yet it was Chung’s empathetic approach that she came to cherish.

She recalled the chaotic first day of filming “Minari” in the heat of Tulsa, Oklahoma. Chung could see she was suffering, Youn recalled. “I could feel his respect and worry for me.”

By contrast, she admitted, she thought the many scenes she shared with Alan S. Kim, an inexperienced young actor who plays her grandson, would test her patience. “I thought, ‘It’s going to be miserable. What am I going to do with this one?’” But when she realized the boy had memorized his lines, her worry disappeared. She shares his work ethic.

Intense preparation had always served as Youn’s shield against self-consciousness about her background. “I didn’t go to acting school and I didn’t study film, so I had an inferiority complex. I practiced so hard when I got a script,” she said.

But she is skeptical about further prospects in Hollywood. Youn, who often apologized during the interview for how blunt she thinks she sounds in a tongue not her own, fears that her lack of English proficiency may impede her. But given time to learn her dialogue, she is willing to try.

“Come to think of it, it was all worth it,” Youn said. “At the time, I was suffering with only small roles and most people hated me. I thought about just quitting or going back to the States.” But she’s a survivor, she said. “I’m still alive and finally enjoying acting.”

For her 60th birthday, veteran Korean star Yuh-Jung Youn made herself a promise. She would collaborate only with those she trusts. Even if their ventures fell short, as long as she personally appreciated the people making them, the result wouldn’t much concern her.

For her 60th birthday, veteran Korean star Yuh-Jung Youn made herself a promise. She would collaborate only with those she trusts. Even if their ventures fell short, as long as she personally appreciated the people making them, the result wouldn’t much concern her. That late-life philosophy, born of decades of limited choices and professional trauma, brought her to 'Minari,' director Lee Isaac Chung’s semi-autobiographical story about a Korean family putting down roots in Arkansas. Youn’s bittersweet performance as the grandmother, Soonja, in the tenderhearted immigrant drama has earned her an Academy Award nomination for best supporting actress, the first for a Korean actress. “Me, a 73-year-old Asian woman could have never even dreamed about being nominated for an Oscar,” Youn said via video call from her home in Seoul. “‘Minari’ brought me a lot of gifts.” As she recounted this triumph and the many pitfalls that preceded it, her pensive expression often broke into an affable smile, cheerful laughter even. Dressed in a demure black top and long necklace, there was an effortless grace to her serene presence. She came off unhurried and welcoming but determined to make her ideas understood. Occasionally she asked a friend off-camera for help with certain English words to hit each point more precisely. She expressed surprise at the fact that co-star Steven Yeun was the first Asian American performer to receive a nomination for best actor: “All I can say is: It’s about time! The success of ‘Parasite’ has definitely helped” get more recognition for Korean performers, she said. That movie, directed by Bong Joon Ho, was the first not in English to win best picture, and it has figured into Youn’s Oscar run in other ways. She had returned from shooting a new project in Vancouver, British Columbia, an Apple TV drama titled “Pachinko,” just in time to hear the announcement of her nomination. First, she felt numb. Then the Korean news media began effusively reporting on her chances. “It’s very stressful. They think I’m a soccer player or an Olympian,” she said, adding, “That pressure is really hard on me.” Because of Bong’s movie, “they have hope I can win. I keep telling him, ‘It’s all because of you!’” Bong, a fan of Kim Ki-young’s “Woman of Fire,” the 1971 film in which Youn made her feature debut, envied her awards-season experience during the pandemic. “He told me, ‘You’re lucky you can just sit down and do Zoom calls. In America they have an awards race and you have to go here and there and everywhere.’ I thought running races were only for horses,” she said. She’s making a strong push to the finish. Youn is nominated at Sunday’s SAG Awards for her performance and as part of the “Minari” ensemble. She’s also up for an Independent Spirit Award later this month. And she’s already won accolades from more than 20 groups of critics. They’re the latest turn in a career that covers more than 50 years in Korean television and film — including a recent cooking reality show titled “Youn’s Kitchen” and a new nonfiction series set in a guesthouse, “Youn’s Stay” — but the self-taught thespian never envisioned a life in the performing arts. Her international breakthrough seems to her, like everything else along the way, fortuitous. “It’s embarrassing,” she said. “Most people fell in love with the movies or fell in love with theater. But in my case, it was just an accident.” When she was a teenager in the early 1960s, an emcee for a children’s game show saw her touring a TV station and invited her to pass out gifts to the audience: “I got the check after that, and it was good money.” Similar jobs ensued until a director suggested she audition for a drama. Although she was hesitant, necessity propelled her: She had failed her college entrance exam, causing her mother profound shame. “To tell you the truth, I didn’t know what acting was,” she said. “I tried to memorize the line and do whatever they asked me to do. At the time, I didn’t know if I was enjoying it or if I disliked it.” But as she was on the rise in the mid-1970s, Youn married and moved to Florida, where her husband attended a university. She spent nearly a decade as a housewife raising her two American-born children, but then she divorced and returned to Korea as a single mother. Her fame had vanished, and ingrained sexism in Korean society made resuming her career a cruel pursuit. “The audience would call and say, ‘She is a divorcee. She shouldn’t be on television,’” she recalled, adding, “Now they like me very much. That’s very strange, but that’s human.” To put her two sons through college, she accepted parts almost indiscriminately. But turning 60 — and no longer obligated to financially support her family — meant she could invest only in people she believed in, such as auteur Hong Sang-soo, who occasionally frustrates her for the many takes he requests, and Im Sang-soo, who cast her in roles unheard of for a Korean actress of her age. In “The Taste of Money” (2013), for example, Youn embodies a powerful woman who sexually harasses her younger male secretary. Youn’s close friend In-Ah Lee, a producer, introduced her to Chung at a film festival in Busan. Chung, like Bong, revered her in “Woman of Fire,” and his knowledge or her early work impressed her. She wanted to know more about him. “Everybody teases me about this now,” she said. “I fell in love with Isaac because he is a very quiet man. I wish he was my son too.” In every film, Chung said via email, “she does something that is surprising or unexpected. I felt her own life and approach to life were very close to the part I had written.” He added that the actress is known in South Korea for her big heart and no-nonsense manner, and he knew she would bring those qualities to the “Minari” role “in a way that invites audiences in.” Writing for The Nation, critic Kristen Yoonsoo Kim said Youn “steals the spotlight; even as she leans toward caricature, her Soonja brings much-needed humor and vitality to a drama that could otherwise sink easily into the dour.” (Kim’s reviews also appear in The New York Times.) When Youn read the script, the perils of the Korean American experience and how it doesn’t fit neatly into a single identity resonated with her. “Maybe I did this movie for my two sons too, because I knew their feelings,” she said. Chung won her over when she asked if he wanted her to imitate his grandmother and he replied that wasn’t his objective. She valued the freedom to create a character beyond what was on the page. Yet it was Chung’s empathetic approach that she came to cherish. She recalled the chaotic first day of filming “Minari” in the heat of Tulsa, Oklahoma. Chung could see she was suffering, Youn recalled. “I could feel his respect and worry for me.” By contrast, she admitted, she thought the many scenes she shared with Alan S. Kim, an inexperienced young actor who plays her grandson, would test her patience. “I thought, ‘It’s going to be miserable. What am I going to do with this one?’” But when she realized the boy had memorized his lines, her worry disappeared. She shares his work ethic. Intense preparation had always served as Youn’s shield against self-consciousness about her background. “I didn’t go to acting school and I didn’t study film, so I had an inferiority complex. I practiced so hard when I got a script,” she said. But she is skeptical about further prospects in Hollywood. Youn, who often apologized during the interview for how blunt she thinks she sounds in a tongue not her own, fears that her lack of English proficiency may impede her. But given time to learn her dialogue, she is willing to try. “Come to think of it, it was all worth it,” Youn said. “At the time, I was suffering with only small roles and most people hated me. I thought about just quitting or going back to the States.” But she’s a survivor, she said. “I’m still alive and finally enjoying acting.”

She never dreamed of acting, now she’s an Oscar nominee for 'Minari'

It’s been a long time coming for Paul Raci, who just earned his first Oscar nomination at age 72.

“To be an actor for all these years — 40 years of just knocking around — and then to have this kind of acclaim, it’s insane, man,” Raci said recently in the backyard of his Burbank home.

For most of his career, Raci has had to make do with one- or two-line roles in TV shows like “Parks and Recreation” and “Baskets.” Then “Sound of Metal” director Darius Marder plucked Raci from obscurity and handed him the part of a lifetime: Joe, the stoic but sensitive leader of a sober-living community for deaf people who takes in a troubled punk-metal drummer, Ruben (Riz Ahmed).

It’s a role with real-life resonance for Raci, who grew up in Chicago as a CODA — a child of deaf adults — and, like Joe, dealt with addiction issues after serving in Vietnam. “I always say I went into Vietnam like John Wayne, and I came out Lenny Bruce,” Raci said.

A lifetime spent as his parents’ hearing interpreter had instilled in Raci a love for performance, but when he moved to Los Angeles decades ago to pursue an acting career, roles were scarce. “I’ve been doing this a long time, and I’ve always known what I was capable of, but nothing was happening for me out here,” he said.

Still, Raci kept plugging away, working by day as a sign language interpreter in the Los Angeles County Superior Court system and at night continuing to hone his craft in stage productions at the Deaf West Theater. “I would always think to myself, ‘I must be so specific that there’s nothing around here for me,” said Raci, who is small and wiry with tattoos and rocker-length hair. “I thought, ‘I’ve got to wait for that specific role.’” And then it finally came.

These are edited excerpts from our conversation.

Q. What was the morning of the Oscar nominations like for you?

A. Well, I don’t have an alarm clock — I have a head clock, and for some reason it was unplugged that morning. I was supposed to get up at 5 a.m., and at 5:25 a.m., my wife and I got up: “Oh, we missed it!” We run in the living room, turn on the TV, and just as it came up, they were on the second guy from the supporting actor category. And then [presenter Priyanka Chopra Jonas] goes, “And Paul Rah-ci.” I said, “No, it’s Ray-ci … and I accept!”

So now it’s 5:30 in the morning; my phone starts ringing. People are showing up with wine; they’re showing up with edibles — not the kind you’re thinking about, but fruit covered with chocolate, and cupcakes. My friend Hillary, she brings over a bottle of Champagne. I said, “It’s six o’clock, Hillary!” My wife is crying; my daughter is crying. It stayed like that all day long, so it was quite exciting.

Q. And what was it like after the dust settled?

A. Six days later, I looked at my wife, and I said, “Did this really happen?” But if I had to wait this long for this moment, it’s worth it, man. A very good friend emailed me two days ago and said, “Paul, this is not just a supporting actor nomination, this is a lifetime achievement award.” I hadn’t thought of it that way, but I got a lot of work left to do here. I think this thing has added 20 years to my life.

Q. For decades, you had been doing day-player work in movies and television. How did you make those kinds of roles feel worthwhile?

A. To be honest, it’s more of a detriment than anything because it just shows you what an abysmal failure you are in your own head. I mean, I wasn’t able to get a series-regular audition or to even get in the room because, “They need a name.” Thank God for Deaf West Theater; if it wasn’t for them, where the hell else was I going to exercise my acting chops? I had nothing. But you go from gig to gig and hope that something’s going to happen.

Q. So how did it finally happen? When you auditioned to play Joe in “Sound of Metal,” did you have an inkling that this time might be different?

A. I put it on tape, sent it in and then forgot about it — because, listen, this never happens for me. When I leave an audition with the sides [script pages] in my hand, I rip them up, throw it in the garbage. I’m not going to dwell on stuff that’s going to break my heart. But my wife, who’s my agent, called the casting directing office and said, “Have you seen Paul’s tape?”

At that point, they said, “We’re inundated with tapes. We’ve got too many that we can’t even find Paul’s tape, and we’re probably going to go with a name.” Robert Duvall, Forest Whitaker, that’s what they were looking for, namewise. My audition tape was fairly strong, and my wife said, “Please, look for it.” Ten minutes later, the phone rings. The casting office goes, “Darius wants to talk to Paul.” A week later, he drove down to meet me, and we talked and talked.

Q. It must be great to have a wife who fights for you in that regard.

A. Listen, she’s been a small-time agent here for over 20 years, trying to compete with CAA and ICM. She has a boutique agency, and she said, “I’m not going to close it until you’re a star, Paul.” She was always fighting to get me in a room, and it never happened. My mindset was so stuck in rejection that even at the end of my conversation with Darius, I said, “Hold on a second, are you actually offering me the role?” He said, “Yes, I am.” But at first, I told them I wasn’t going to do the movie.

Q. Why not?

A. Look, I got a house to pay for here. This is not the big movie I thought it was; it was a very small budget, and I could make more money staying here in LA and working in the court system than what they were offering me. I’m going to go all the way over there [around Boston] for something that’s going to put me in the hole? I can’t afford that; I don’t even have health insurance for my family. So I said to my wife, “Tell Darius I’m not interested.”

Q. Really? That takes guts.

A. Well, it looked like a pretty good movie, but I’m a blue-collar guy like my dad, and I’ve got to pay my bills. Then Darius calls me: “You can’t do this! You don’t understand what this means.” So they kind of bumped up my per diem. He was so flexible with me, and I knew his heart was in the right place; he was so respectful to my point of view, to my CODA experience, that I felt like I could trust him.

Q. Although you’re a child of deaf adults, you’re also a hearing person. Is there a case to be made that Joe should have been played by someone who is deaf or hard of hearing?

A. That’s an argument that some would make in the deaf community, yes. However, I would argue back because I’m a CODA and you cannot take me out of this culture that I was brought up in. I would never take a deaf role from a deaf actor who is culturally deaf, but Joe is a guy who was late-deafened.

I’m sensitive to it, and I vetted it before we went ahead. I asked Darius in the beginning, “I don’t feel comfortable having this guy be deaf. Can’t you make the guy a CODA?” He said, “That’s interesting. Let me get back to you.” He had three deaf advisers on the set, and all three told Darius, “No, it’s more compelling to have him be deafened,” to have that parallel line between Ruben and Joe, which you feel so strongly.

The beautiful thing about it is, I’m hooked into [“Sound of Metal” distributor] Amazon right now, and they’re coming to me and asking for content. I have other things I’ve written, I have other deaf writers I know of, and because of this connection, I think some doors are going to be kicked down, because people are interested in what I have to say right now.

It’s been a long time coming for Paul Raci, who just earned his first Oscar nomination at age 72. “To be an actor for all these years — 40 years of just knocking around — and then to have this kind of acclaim, it’s insane, man,” Raci said recently in the backyard of his Burbank home.

It’s been a long time coming for Paul Raci, who just earned his first Oscar nomination at age 72. “To be an actor for all these years — 40 years of just knocking around — and then to have this kind of acclaim, it’s insane, man,” Raci said recently in the backyard of his Burbank home. For most of his career, Raci has had to make do with one- or two-line roles in TV shows like “Parks and Recreation” and “Baskets.” Then “Sound of Metal” director Darius Marder plucked Raci from obscurity and handed him the part of a lifetime: Joe, the stoic but sensitive leader of a sober-living community for deaf people who takes in a troubled punk-metal drummer, Ruben (Riz Ahmed). It’s a role with real-life resonance for Raci, who grew up in Chicago as a CODA — a child of deaf adults — and, like Joe, dealt with addiction issues after serving in Vietnam. “I always say I went into Vietnam like John Wayne, and I came out Lenny Bruce,” Raci said. A lifetime spent as his parents’ hearing interpreter had instilled in Raci a love for performance, but when he moved to Los Angeles decades ago to pursue an acting career, roles were scarce. “I’ve been doing this a long time, and I’ve always known what I was capable of, but nothing was happening for me out here,” he said. Still, Raci kept plugging away, working by day as a sign language interpreter in the Los Angeles County Superior Court system and at night continuing to hone his craft in stage productions at the Deaf West Theater. “I would always think to myself, ‘I must be so specific that there’s nothing around here for me,” said Raci, who is small and wiry with tattoos and rocker-length hair. “I thought, ‘I’ve got to wait for that specific role.’” And then it finally came. These are edited excerpts from our conversation. Q. What was the morning of the Oscar nominations like for you? A. Well, I don’t have an alarm clock — I have a head clock, and for some reason it was unplugged that morning. I was supposed to get up at 5 a.m., and at 5:25 a.m., my wife and I got up: “Oh, we missed it!” We run in the living room, turn on the TV, and just as it came up, they were on the second guy from the supporting actor category. And then [presenter Priyanka Chopra Jonas] goes, “And Paul Rah-ci.” I said, “No, it’s Ray-ci … and I accept!” So now it’s 5:30 in the morning; my phone starts ringing. People are showing up with wine; they’re showing up with edibles — not the kind you’re thinking about, but fruit covered with chocolate, and cupcakes. My friend Hillary, she brings over a bottle of Champagne. I said, “It’s six o’clock, Hillary!” My wife is crying; my daughter is crying. It stayed like that all day long, so it was quite exciting. Q. And what was it like after the dust settled? A. Six days later, I looked at my wife, and I said, “Did this really happen?” But if I had to wait this long for this moment, it’s worth it, man. A very good friend emailed me two days ago and said, “Paul, this is not just a supporting actor nomination, this is a lifetime achievement award.” I hadn’t thought of it that way, but I got a lot of work left to do here. I think this thing has added 20 years to my life. Q. For decades, you had been doing day-player work in movies and television. How did you make those kinds of roles feel worthwhile? A. To be honest, it’s more of a detriment than anything because it just shows you what an abysmal failure you are in your own head. I mean, I wasn’t able to get a series-regular audition or to even get in the room because, “They need a name.” Thank God for Deaf West Theater; if it wasn’t for them, where the hell else was I going to exercise my acting chops? I had nothing. But you go from gig to gig and hope that something’s going to happen. Q. So how did it finally happen? When you auditioned to play Joe in “Sound of Metal,” did you have an inkling that this time might be different? A. I put it on tape, sent it in and then forgot about it — because, listen, this never happens for me. When I leave an audition with the sides [script pages] in my hand, I rip them up, throw it in the garbage. I’m not going to dwell on stuff that’s going to break my heart. But my wife, who’s my agent, called the casting directing office and said, “Have you seen Paul’s tape?” At that point, they said, “We’re inundated with tapes. We’ve got too many that we can’t even find Paul’s tape, and we’re probably going to go with a name.” Robert Duvall, Forest Whitaker, that’s what they were looking for, namewise. My audition tape was fairly strong, and my wife said, “Please, look for it.” Ten minutes later, the phone rings. The casting office goes, “Darius wants to talk to Paul.” A week later, he drove down to meet me, and we talked and talked. Q. It must be great to have a wife who fights for you in that regard. A. Listen, she’s been a small-time agent here for over 20 years, trying to compete with CAA and ICM. She has a boutique agency, and she said, “I’m not going to close it until you’re a star, Paul.” She was always fighting to get me in a room, and it never happened. My mindset was so stuck in rejection that even at the end of my conversation with Darius, I said, “Hold on a second, are you actually offering me the role?” He said, “Yes, I am.” But at first, I told them I wasn’t going to do the movie. Q. Why not? A. Look, I got a house to pay for here. This is not the big movie I thought it was; it was a very small budget, and I could make more money staying here in LA and working in the court system than what they were offering me. I’m going to go all the way over there [around Boston] for something that’s going to put me in the hole? I can’t afford that; I don’t even have health insurance for my family. So I said to my wife, “Tell Darius I’m not interested.” Q. Really? That takes guts. A. Well, it looked like a pretty good movie, but I’m a blue-collar guy like my dad, and I’ve got to pay my bills. Then Darius calls me: “You can’t do this! You don’t understand what this means.” So they kind of bumped up my per diem. He was so flexible with me, and I knew his heart was in the right place; he was so respectful to my point of view, to my CODA experience, that I felt like I could trust him. Q. Although you’re a child of deaf adults, you’re also a hearing person. Is there a case to be made that Joe should have been played by someone who is deaf or hard of hearing? A. That’s an argument that some would make in the deaf community, yes. However, I would argue back because I’m a CODA and you cannot take me out of this culture that I was brought up in. I would never take a deaf role from a deaf actor who is culturally deaf, but Joe is a guy who was late-deafened. I’m sensitive to it, and I vetted it before we went ahead. I asked Darius in the beginning, “I don’t feel comfortable having this guy be deaf. Can’t you make the guy a CODA?” He said, “That’s interesting. Let me get back to you.” He had three deaf advisers on the set, and all three told Darius, “No, it’s more compelling to have him be deafened,” to have that parallel line between Ruben and Joe, which you feel so strongly. The beautiful thing about it is, I’m hooked into [“Sound of Metal” distributor] Amazon right now, and they’re coming to me and asking for content. I have other things I’ve written, I have other deaf writers I know of, and because of this connection, I think some doors are going to be kicked down, because people are interested in what I have to say right now.

How ‘Sound of Metal’ star Paul Raci went from day jobs to Oscar nominee

British actor Riz Ahmed portrays a heavy metal drummer going deaf in 'Sound of Metal', a role that has seen him become the<a href="https://www.wionews.com/entertainment/hollywood/news-riz-ahmed-becomes-the-first-muslim-to-get-nominated-in-the-best-actor-category-at-the-oscars-370789"> first Muslim nominated</a> for the best actor Oscar. In the drama, directed by Darius Marder, Ahmed plays Ruben, who is on tour with his singer girlfriend when he loses his hearing. He reluctantly heads off to seek help and learn sign language. 
 
Ahmed, known for 'Rogue One: A Star Wars Story', 'Venom'&nbsp;and 'The Night Of', said preparing for the role, for which he learned to play the drums and American sign language, was "an intensive process". 
 
"Just on an emotional level, it was a very raw script. Darius Marder wrote something really, really heartrending and so just going to that place on an emotional level was quite involving," Ahmed told Reuters.

<a href="http://13.235.153.162/photos/oscars-2021-nominations-the-first-timers-snubs-surprises-370841" hreflang="en">Oscars 2021 nominations: The first timers, snubs, surprises</a> 
 
The 38-year-old, also in the running for a BAFTA next week, is a rapper too. Asked if that helped him to play the drums, he said: "I thought it would be more helpful than it was. I thought I can keep rhythm, I can keep time ... And coordinating your four limbs to go four different speeds, it was a lot." 
"You can`t play the drums, you have to let them play you ... And so much of this performance and so much of this film is actually about surrender and letting go of control and allowing things to happen." 
 
Ruben spends time with deaf children and teaches drumming. "Working with those deaf kids ... was like a masterclass in acting," Ahmed said. "Their focus, their attention, their communication is so embodied."

<a href="http://13.235.153.162/photos/chloe-zhao-to-emerald-funnel-oscars-2021-best-director-nominees-370695" hreflang="en">Chloe Zhao to Emerald Funnel, Oscars 2021 Best Director Nominees</a> 
 
Ahmed made history last month as the first Muslim to get the best actor Oscar nod. "It means a lot to me that as many people as possible can recognise themselves and find themselves in these moments of celebration. It`s great if people can connect to this because I’m the first Muslim nominated in this category," he said. 
 
"I think for a lot of people, they feel really excited that it is the best picture nomination for a film that is open captioned for the deaf community."

British actor Riz Ahmed portrays a heavy metal drummer going deaf in 'Sound of Metal', a role that has seen him become the first Muslim nominated for the best actor Oscar.

British actor Riz Ahmed portrays a heavy metal drummer going deaf in 'Sound of Metal', a role that has seen him become the first Muslim nominated for the best actor Oscar. In the drama, directed by Darius Marder, Ahmed plays Ruben, who is on tour with his singer girlfriend when he loses his hearing. He reluctantly heads off to seek help and learn sign language. Ahmed, known for 'Rogue One: A Star Wars Story', 'Venom' and 'The Night Of', said preparing for the role, for which he learned to play the drums and American sign language, was "an intensive process". "Just on an emotional level, it was a very raw script. Darius Marder wrote something really, really heartrending and so just going to that place on an emotional level was quite involving," Ahmed told Reuters. Oscars 2021 nominations: The first timers, snubs, surprises The 38-year-old, also in the running for a BAFTA next week, is a rapper too. Asked if that helped him to play the drums, he said: "I thought it would be more helpful than it was. I thought I can keep rhythm, I can keep time ... And coordinating your four limbs to go four different speeds, it was a lot." "You can`t play the drums, you have to let them play you ... And so much of this performance and so much of this film is actually about surrender and letting go of control and allowing things to happen." Ruben spends time with deaf children and teaches drumming. "Working with those deaf kids ... was like a masterclass in acting," Ahmed said. "Their focus, their attention, their communication is so embodied." Chloe Zhao to Emerald Funnel, Oscars 2021 Best Director Nominees Ahmed made history last month as the first Muslim to get the best actor Oscar nod. "It means a lot to me that as many people as possible can recognise themselves and find themselves in these moments of celebration. It`s great if people can connect to this because I’m the first Muslim nominated in this category," he said. "I think for a lot of people, they feel really excited that it is the best picture nomination for a film that is open captioned for the deaf community."

Riz Ahmed takes on 'intensive' role as deaf drummer in 'Sound of Metal'

Since its premiere at Sundance Film Festival in January 2020, 'Do Not Split'&nbsp;has won praise on the festival circuit for its intense, street-level depiction of the 2019 Hong Kong protests against a harsh extradition law. The 35-minute film was nominated for Oscars 2021 in&nbsp;the Best Documentary Short Subject on&nbsp;March 15.&nbsp; 
 
The touchy subject of the documentary and its western acknowledgement has irked many in China.&nbsp; Now, Hong Kong's&nbsp;largest TV network Television Broadcasts Ltd., known as TVB has decided not to broadcast the Oscars&nbsp;for “purely commercial” reasons. The move has come after the reports of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/entertainment/is-china-planning-to-ban-the-broadcast-of-oscars-this-year-371333">China asking the media to play down the awards, made rounds.</a> 
&nbsp;

It's interesting to note that&nbsp;TVB, has broadcast the Academy Awards on its English-language channel every year since 1969. According to Bloomberg, other local broadcasters including Now TV, Viu TV and Cable TV also don’t have the broadcast rights, the Standard newspaper reported. 
 
<a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/oscars-2021-all-international-feature-films-submissions-so-far-340783">Oscars 2021: All International Feature Films submissions so far</a>

Post the nomination,&nbsp;China’s state-run Global Times stated that the short film “should not win the award as it lacks artistry and is full of biased political stances.” Citing unnamed Chinese film industry sources, the article continued, “The Oscars should not be reduced to political tools; otherwise, it will hurt Chinese audiences’ feelings and may lead to a heavy loss in the Chinese film market.” 
 
Do Not Split' which has been helmed by Norwegian filmmaker Anders hammer, documents the 2019 protests in Hong Kong over the proposal of a law that would have made it possible for Hong Kong residents to be extradited to mainland China to face Beijing's legal system. The student-led protests drew the attention of the world, and the documentary shows the brutal backlash the activists faced by the Hong Kong police. The protest evolved into a broader call for democracy and human rights.&nbsp; 
 
The film also highlights Hong Kong's draconian national security law, which effectively quashed the protest movement in 2020 and resulted in the arrest of scores of activists. 
 
<a href="https://www.wionews.com/entertainment/no-zoom-oscars-causes-backlash-hollywood-media-reports-372998" hreflang="en">'No Zoom' Oscars causes backlash, Hollywood media reports</a>

As per Bloomberg's report, China’s government reacted to the nominations quickly, issuing an order instructing media outlets “that Oscars coverage should focus on awards that aren’t seen as controversial.” This potentially could include the cancellation of the live telecast of the awards show in China or the censorship of certain categories from the broadcast, such as Documentary Short Subject.

&nbsp;The success of Beijing-born “Nomadland” frontrunner Chloé Zhao has received a mixed reception in her home country. Following Zhao’s Golden Globe wins for Best Picture and Best Director, a 2013 interview with Filmmaker Magazine resurfaced in which she referred to China as “a place where there are lies everywhere,” sparking a backlash on Chinese social media.

Oscars 2021 will take place in Los Angeles on April 25.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Since its premiere at Sundance Film Festival in January 2020, 'Do Not Split' has won praise on the festival circuit for its intense, street-level depiction of the 2019 Hong Kong protests against a harsh extradition law.

Since its premiere at Sundance Film Festival in January 2020, 'Do Not Split' has won praise on the festival circuit for its intense, street-level depiction of the 2019 Hong Kong protests against a harsh extradition law. The 35-minute film was nominated for Oscars 2021 in the Best Documentary Short Subject on March 15. The touchy subject of the documentary and its western acknowledgement has irked many in China. Now, Hong Kong's largest TV network Television Broadcasts Ltd., known as TVB has decided not to broadcast the Oscars for “purely commercial” reasons. The move has come after the reports of China asking the media to play down the awards, made rounds. It's interesting to note that TVB, has broadcast the Academy Awards on its English-language channel every year since 1969. According to Bloomberg, other local broadcasters including Now TV, Viu TV and Cable TV also don’t have the broadcast rights, the Standard newspaper reported. Oscars 2021: All International Feature Films submissions so far Post the nomination, China’s state-run Global Times stated that the short film “should not win the award as it lacks artistry and is full of biased political stances.” Citing unnamed Chinese film industry sources, the article continued, “The Oscars should not be reduced to political tools; otherwise, it will hurt Chinese audiences’ feelings and may lead to a heavy loss in the Chinese film market.” Do Not Split' which has been helmed by Norwegian filmmaker Anders hammer, documents the 2019 protests in Hong Kong over the proposal of a law that would have made it possible for Hong Kong residents to be extradited to mainland China to face Beijing's legal system. The student-led protests drew the attention of the world, and the documentary shows the brutal backlash the activists faced by the Hong Kong police. The protest evolved into a broader call for democracy and human rights. The film also highlights Hong Kong's draconian national security law, which effectively quashed the protest movement in 2020 and resulted in the arrest of scores of activists. 'No Zoom' Oscars causes backlash, Hollywood media reports As per Bloomberg's report, China’s government reacted to the nominations quickly, issuing an order instructing media outlets “that Oscars coverage should focus on awards that aren’t seen as controversial.” This potentially could include the cancellation of the live telecast of the awards show in China or the censorship of certain categories from the broadcast, such as Documentary Short Subject. The success of Beijing-born “Nomadland” frontrunner Chloé Zhao has received a mixed reception in her home country. Following Zhao’s Golden Globe wins for Best Picture and Best Director, a 2013 interview with Filmmaker Magazine resurfaced in which she referred to China as “a place where there are lies everywhere,” sparking a backlash on Chinese social media. Oscars 2021 will take place in Los Angeles on April 25.

Oscars 2021: Hong Kong's TV broadcasters to skip airing awards after China's censorship order

&nbsp;The<a href="https://www.wionews.com/entertainment/hollywood/news-no-zoom-for-intimate-2021-oscars-producers-say-371539">&nbsp;'No Zoom'&nbsp;policy</a> for this year`s Oscars ceremony is proving a headache for multiple nominees who live outside the United States and who are still under pandemic restrictions, according to Hollywood publications. 
 
Variety and Deadline Hollywood reported on Wednesday that publicists and some studio executives have complained to the film academy about logistics, costs and quarantine issues raised by the decision to bar nominees from taking part in the ceremony remotely. 
 
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which organizes the ceremony, did not return a request for comment on the reports. 
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the April 25 show to hand out the highest honours in the movie industry will be held both at Union Station in Downtown Los Angeles and the traditional home of the Academy Awards at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood.

<a href="http://13.235.153.162/entertainment/elton-johns-oscars-2021-night-party-would-be-open-to-all-372509" hreflang="en">Elton John's Oscars 2021 night party would be open to all</a> 
 
Producers said last week that there will "not be an option to Zoom in for the show" and encouraged nominees to attend in person. 
At least nine nominees, including "Promising Young Woman" director Emerald Fennell and star Carey Mulligan, live in Britain. England next week is expected to ban nonessential international travel until mid-May. 
 
Representatives of the five international feature films - submitted by Denmark, Hong Kong, Romania, Tunisia and Bosnia - could also face hurdles getting to Los Angeles, Variety and Deadline noted. Some of the other 200 or so nominees will be working on productions that require quarantine or living in restricted "bubbles" with cast and crew, the publications said.

<a href="http://13.235.153.162/entertainment/formal-in-person-oscars-in-hands-of-veteran-director-371846" hreflang="en">'Formal' in-person Oscars in hands of veteran director</a> 
 
Visitors to California are currently expected to quarantine for 10 days. Travellers to nations outside the United States are also subject to varying quarantine requirements. 
 
Variety said a meeting this week to discuss the issues between the Academy, movie studio executives and publicists had been cancelled. 
Other awards show in recent months have replaced the usual in-person gatherings at gala dinners and on stage with pre-recorded appearances or virtual events, or a combination of those with small in-person gatherings. 
 
But television audiences have slumped, with the Golden Globes and the Grammys attracting the smallest numbers in decades.

The 'No Zoom' policy for this year`s Oscars ceremony is proving a headache for multiple nominees who live outside the United States and who are still under pandemic restrictions, according to Hollywood publications.

The 'No Zoom' policy for this year`s Oscars ceremony is proving a headache for multiple nominees who live outside the United States and who are still under pandemic restrictions, according to Hollywood publications. Variety and Deadline Hollywood reported on Wednesday that publicists and some studio executives have complained to the film academy about logistics, costs and quarantine issues raised by the decision to bar nominees from taking part in the ceremony remotely. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which organizes the ceremony, did not return a request for comment on the reports. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the April 25 show to hand out the highest honours in the movie industry will be held both at Union Station in Downtown Los Angeles and the traditional home of the Academy Awards at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood. Elton John's Oscars 2021 night party would be open to all Producers said last week that there will "not be an option to Zoom in for the show" and encouraged nominees to attend in person. At least nine nominees, including "Promising Young Woman" director Emerald Fennell and star Carey Mulligan, live in Britain. England next week is expected to ban nonessential international travel until mid-May. Representatives of the five international feature films - submitted by Denmark, Hong Kong, Romania, Tunisia and Bosnia - could also face hurdles getting to Los Angeles, Variety and Deadline noted. Some of the other 200 or so nominees will be working on productions that require quarantine or living in restricted "bubbles" with cast and crew, the publications said. 'Formal' in-person Oscars in hands of veteran director Visitors to California are currently expected to quarantine for 10 days. Travellers to nations outside the United States are also subject to varying quarantine requirements. Variety said a meeting this week to discuss the issues between the Academy, movie studio executives and publicists had been cancelled. Other awards show in recent months have replaced the usual in-person gatherings at gala dinners and on stage with pre-recorded appearances or virtual events, or a combination of those with small in-person gatherings. But television audiences have slumped, with the Golden Globes and the Grammys attracting the smallest numbers in decades.

'No Zoom' Oscars causes backlash, Hollywood media reports

Hollywood's producers named "Nomadland" the year's best film at their virtual prizegiving on Wednesday -- a prestigious award that revs up the US road movie's status as the firm Oscars favorite.

Disney-owned Searchlight's intimate portrayal of semi-retired Americans living off the grid in worn-out vans already has a Golden Globe in its glovebox, and again sped past streaming rivals like Netflix's "The Trial of the Chicago 7" and "Mank" in an award season transformed by Covid-19.

"In a year where we have all been leading such isolated lives and movies felt so vital, we are proud to have produced a film about community, and what connects us," said producer Peter Spears.

The annual Producers Guild of America (PGA) Awards, chosen by the 8,000-odd Hollywood movers and shakers of the producers' union, have predicted 10 of the past 13 winners of the Academy Award for best picture.

Earlier in the largely pre-recorded show, Charlene Swankie -- one of several real-life nomads who plays a fictionalized version of herself in the film -- said inviting director Chloe Zhao and star Frances McDormand into their world had been "a special road trip" that was eye-opening for all parties.

"If you were to ask me last year what the PGA was, I would have said it was a golf organization," she joked.

- 'Thank you very much' - 
With movie theaters only beginning to reopen in Los Angeles last week after a year of Covid-19 restrictions, streaming services had been widely tipped to supplant the traditional Hollywood studios this award season.

Netflix and Amazon alone bagged more than half the film nominations chosen by the PGA this year, but the night's top prize went to a movie produced by Searchlight, the arthouse label Disney recently acquired from Fox.&nbsp;

Disney's existential jazz adventure "Soul" continued its sweep of this year's animated film prizes, while the filmed Broadway performance of "Hamilton" airing on its Disney+ streaming service won the PGA's best televised motion picture.

But Netflix's aquatic wildlife feature "My Octopus Teacher" bolstered its Oscar hopes by winning best documentary.

The streaming giant also dominated the main television categories, with zeitgeisty chess drama "The Queen's Gambit" winning best limited series and the latest series of British royals saga "The Crown" named best drama.

"The Last Dance," Netflix's co-production with ESPN about basketball superstar Michael Jordan, won best non-fiction show.&nbsp;

The final season of "Schitt's Creek" won best comedy, while HBO's "Last Week Tonight" was named best talk show for a sixth consecutive year.

Host John Oliver used his pre-taped acceptance speech to poke fun at the night's unusual format.

"Thank you very much for this, it means a great deal," he said. "If we have won, that is of course... if we haven't won, please destroy this."

Hollywood's producers named "Nomadland" the year's best film at their virtual prizegiving on Wednesday -- a prestigious award that revs up the US road movie's status as the firm Oscars favorite.

Hollywood's producers named "Nomadland" the year's best film at their virtual prizegiving on Wednesday -- a prestigious award that revs up the US road movie's status as the firm Oscars favorite. Disney-owned Searchlight's intimate portrayal of semi-retired Americans living off the grid in worn-out vans already has a Golden Globe in its glovebox, and again sped past streaming rivals like Netflix's "The Trial of the Chicago 7" and "Mank" in an award season transformed by Covid-19. "In a year where we have all been leading such isolated lives and movies felt so vital, we are proud to have produced a film about community, and what connects us," said producer Peter Spears. The annual Producers Guild of America (PGA) Awards, chosen by the 8,000-odd Hollywood movers and shakers of the producers' union, have predicted 10 of the past 13 winners of the Academy Award for best picture. Earlier in the largely pre-recorded show, Charlene Swankie -- one of several real-life nomads who plays a fictionalized version of herself in the film -- said inviting director Chloe Zhao and star Frances McDormand into their world had been "a special road trip" that was eye-opening for all parties. "If you were to ask me last year what the PGA was, I would have said it was a golf organization," she joked. - 'Thank you very much' - With movie theaters only beginning to reopen in Los Angeles last week after a year of Covid-19 restrictions, streaming services had been widely tipped to supplant the traditional Hollywood studios this award season. Netflix and Amazon alone bagged more than half the film nominations chosen by the PGA this year, but the night's top prize went to a movie produced by Searchlight, the arthouse label Disney recently acquired from Fox. Disney's existential jazz adventure "Soul" continued its sweep of this year's animated film prizes, while the filmed Broadway performance of "Hamilton" airing on its Disney+ streaming service won the PGA's best televised motion picture. But Netflix's aquatic wildlife feature "My Octopus Teacher" bolstered its Oscar hopes by winning best documentary. The streaming giant also dominated the main television categories, with zeitgeisty chess drama "The Queen's Gambit" winning best limited series and the latest series of British royals saga "The Crown" named best drama. "The Last Dance," Netflix's co-production with ESPN about basketball superstar Michael Jordan, won best non-fiction show. The final season of "Schitt's Creek" won best comedy, while HBO's "Last Week Tonight" was named best talk show for a sixth consecutive year. Host John Oliver used his pre-taped acceptance speech to poke fun at the night's unusual format. "Thank you very much for this, it means a great deal," he said. "If we have won, that is of course... if we haven't won, please destroy this."

'Nomadland' revs up Oscar hopes with Hollywood producers award

US actor George Segal, whose long film and television career spanned from the 1960s to the present, has died at age 87, his wife Sonia Segal told the Hollywood news publication Deadline.

Segal, who was nominated for an Oscar for "Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolf?" (1966), died in Santa Rosa, California of complications from bypass surgery, his wife said in the article, published Tuesday.

Born February 17, 1934 in a small town in the state of New York, he studied acting and had early roles in Broadway theater productions.

While younger viewers may know him as grandfather Albert "Pops" Solomon in the ABC network TV series "The Goldbergs," his long film career includes starring roles in "The Owl and the Pussycat" (1970) with Barbra Streisand, "The Duchess and the Dirtwater Fox" (1976) with Goldie Hawn, and "Fun With Dick and Jane" (1977) with Jane Fonda.&nbsp;

His first major Hollywood role was in "The Young Doctors" (1961), and later in "The Longest Day" (1962) about the allied landing in Normandy during World War II.

In "Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolf?" he played a young professor alongside two megastars of the time, Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor.

Segal won a Golden Globe award for his role in "A Touch of Class" (1973) with Glenda Jackson.

On TV Segal was known for his roles in shows such as the NBC sitcom "Just Shoot Me!" (1997-2003), and later "The Goldbergs," which began its run in 2013 and is still in production.

"Today we lost a legend," tweeted series creator Adam Goldberg.&nbsp;

"It was a true honor being a small part of George Segal's amazing legacy. By pure fate, I ended up casting the perfect person to play Pops. Just like my grandfather, George was a kid at heart with a magical spark. I think these memories say it all.

US actor George Segal, whose long film and television career spanned from the 1960s to the present, has died at age 87, his wife Sonia Segal told the Hollywood news publication Deadline.

US actor George Segal, whose long film and television career spanned from the 1960s to the present, has died at age 87, his wife Sonia Segal told the Hollywood news publication Deadline. Segal, who was nominated for an Oscar for "Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolf?" (1966), died in Santa Rosa, California of complications from bypass surgery, his wife said in the article, published Tuesday. Born February 17, 1934 in a small town in the state of New York, he studied acting and had early roles in Broadway theater productions. While younger viewers may know him as grandfather Albert "Pops" Solomon in the ABC network TV series "The Goldbergs," his long film career includes starring roles in "The Owl and the Pussycat" (1970) with Barbra Streisand, "The Duchess and the Dirtwater Fox" (1976) with Goldie Hawn, and "Fun With Dick and Jane" (1977) with Jane Fonda. His first major Hollywood role was in "The Young Doctors" (1961), and later in "The Longest Day" (1962) about the allied landing in Normandy during World War II. In "Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolf?" he played a young professor alongside two megastars of the time, Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor. Segal won a Golden Globe award for his role in "A Touch of Class" (1973) with Glenda Jackson. On TV Segal was known for his roles in shows such as the NBC sitcom "Just Shoot Me!" (1997-2003), and later "The Goldbergs," which began its run in 2013 and is still in production. "Today we lost a legend," tweeted series creator Adam Goldberg. "It was a true honor being a small part of George Segal's amazing legacy. By pure fate, I ended up casting the perfect person to play Pops. Just like my grandfather, George was a kid at heart with a magical spark. I think these memories say it all.

Oscar-nominated actor George Segal dead at 87

WION caught up with actor Adil Hussain about his new film 'The Illegal' which was in the running in the Best Picture category at the 2021 Oscars before the final nominations were announced.

Adil Hussain on his new film 'The Illegal', Indian films at Oscars and more

Elton John's long-running Oscar-night party will be accessible to all this year.&nbsp; 
 
One of the most happening after-parties, Elton John's Oscar-night party has always been one of the hardest tickets to get. This year anyone can attend it for&nbsp;$20. The Elton John AIDS Foundation is inviting everyone to an hourlong, virtual pre-show Oscar party special hosted by Neil Patrick Harris and with a performance by Dua Lipa.

Tickets for the April 25 event are $19.99 and are available via Ticketmaster. Proceeds will go to young people at risk and living with HIV all over the world.

The foundation is one of the leading independent AIDS organizations in the world. One of its fundraising highlights is the star-studded Oscar viewing show, with a dinner and an auction.&nbsp;A pre-show will be available to ticket buyers.

The special will be hosted four times in four different time zones and each will accommodate 100,000 viewers, meaning a total of 400,000 ticket buyers are allowed access, as per AP.

“Now more than ever, we need to ensure that one pandemic does not override another, and we cannot forget the 38 million people living with HIV globally who need our care, love and support so we hope everyone joins us for this special one of a kind Oscar Pre-Party,” John said in a statement. 
 
(With inputs from agencies)

Elton John's long-running Oscar-night party will be accessible to all this year. One of the most happening after-parties, Elton John's Oscar-night party has always been one of the hardest tickets to get.

Elton John's long-running Oscar-night party will be accessible to all this year. One of the most happening after-parties, Elton John's Oscar-night party has always been one of the hardest tickets to get. This year anyone can attend it for $20. The Elton John AIDS Foundation is inviting everyone to an hourlong, virtual pre-show Oscar party special hosted by Neil Patrick Harris and with a performance by Dua Lipa. Tickets for the April 25 event are $19.99 and are available via Ticketmaster. Proceeds will go to young people at risk and living with HIV all over the world. The foundation is one of the leading independent AIDS organizations in the world. One of its fundraising highlights is the star-studded Oscar viewing show, with a dinner and an auction. A pre-show will be available to ticket buyers. The special will be hosted four times in four different time zones and each will accommodate 100,000 viewers, meaning a total of 400,000 ticket buyers are allowed access, as per AP. “Now more than ever, we need to ensure that one pandemic does not override another, and we cannot forget the 38 million people living with HIV globally who need our care, love and support so we hope everyone joins us for this special one of a kind Oscar Pre-Party,” John said in a statement. (With inputs from agencies)

Elton John's Oscars 2021 night party would be open to all

Septuagenarian Youn Yuh-Jung, the first South Korean actress nominated for an Oscar, has spent decades portraying nonconformist characters, from a vicious heiress to an ageing prostitute, challenging social norms in both her career and life.

Her role in "Minari", a family drama about Korean immigrants in the US, is more conventional: grandmother to a mischievous young boy trying to fit into rural Arkansas.

The film secured six Academy Award nominations last week, also including best picture, best director and best actor.

That raises the prospect of a second multi-Oscar haul for a Korean-language film in successive years, after "Parasite" became the first non-English Best Picture winner in 2020 -- though it did not snag any acting nominations.&nbsp;

Youn played down excitement over her chance to make history at next month's ceremony, saying: "I don't enjoy the competition."

"This is not a playoff game of actors, placing them in order. I consider this nomination just as valuable as the actual award."

Her two grown sons are Asian-Americans and she said she had taken a role in "this small movie made by second-generation Korean-Americans" for its own reward.

Based on director Lee Isaac Chung's experiences growing up in the 1980s, "Minari" follows a Korean-born father who moves his family to an all-white town in rural Arkansas in pursuit of a better life.

Bong Joon-ho, who earned last year's Best Director Oscar for dark satire "Parasite", said the role was "the loveliest character Youn has ever played".

It is the latest of several grandmotherly castings for Youn, who has already picked up a host of best-supporting actress awards at US film festivals and is on the shortlist for a Screen Actors Guild Award.

Busan International Film Festival programme director&nbsp;Nam Dong-chul told AFP that Youn's Oscar nomination "acknowledges an extraordinary actress who has pioneered her own path for a very long time".

"I don't think she ever intended to break into the international film scene," he said, "but throughout decades she has developed a fine taste when choosing her projects".

- 'Scarlet letter' -&nbsp;

In a career spanning more than 50 years,&nbsp;Youn has often played provocative and atypical characters who do not conform to the rules of socially conservative Korean society.

Born in 1947 in Kaesong -- now in North Korea --&nbsp;she made her film debut in groundbreaking director Kim Ki-young's 1971 "Woman of Fire", as the live-in maid to a middle-class household who becomes impregnated by the father of the family.

The thriller was a critical and commercial hit, and remains a classic of modern South Korean cinema. But Youn's first heyday came to an abrupt end in 1975, when she married singer Jo Young-nam and the couple moved to the US.

Youn returned to South Korea in 1984. But after divorcing&nbsp;Jo three years later, she battled heavy stigma to resume her acting career to support her two children.

"To be divorced was&nbsp;like having the scarlet letter at the time," Youn told a local magazine in 2009.

"There was this thing that dictated women shouldn't make TV appearances so soon after their divorce."&nbsp;

She countered by accepting every role she was offered, however small.&nbsp;

"I worked very hard. I had this mission of somehow feeding my children. I'd say yes even when I was asked to climb 100 stairs."

- 'Fiercely competitive waters' - 
 
By the 1990s Youn was a regular in TV dramas, often portraying mothers, and later grandmothers. &nbsp;

In 2003, Youn made her film comeback&nbsp;in director Im Sang-soo's "A Good Lawyer's Wife",&nbsp;as an unconventional mother-in-law in a dysfunctional family.

She played a cruel and rich heiress&nbsp;betrayed by her husband in Im's&nbsp;2012 thriller "Taste of Money", and an ageing haenyeo -- the women of Jeju island who free-dive to collect shellfish -- reunited with her long-lost granddaughter in 2016 drama "Canola".

Also in 2016, she was praised for her role in E J-yong's drama "The Bacchus Lady" as an elderly prostitute -- a veteran of the brothels set up for US soldiers in the South -- who becomes involved in the deaths of former clients.

Youn is "one of the few leading actresses of her generation" to have worked consistently in Korean cinema over the last two decades, said Jason&nbsp;Bechervaise, a professor at Korea Soongsil Cyber University.

She had to navigate, he added, the "fiercely competitive waters" of a film and television industry "largely focused on young and often male talent for leading roles".

Septuagenarian Youn Yuh-Jung, the first South Korean actress nominated for an Oscar, has spent decades portraying nonconformist characters, from a vicious heiress to an ageing prostitute, challenging social norms in both her career and life.

Septuagenarian Youn Yuh-Jung, the first South Korean actress nominated for an Oscar, has spent decades portraying nonconformist characters, from a vicious heiress to an ageing prostitute, challenging social norms in both her career and life. Her role in "Minari", a family drama about Korean immigrants in the US, is more conventional: grandmother to a mischievous young boy trying to fit into rural Arkansas. The film secured six Academy Award nominations last week, also including best picture, best director and best actor. That raises the prospect of a second multi-Oscar haul for a Korean-language film in successive years, after "Parasite" became the first non-English Best Picture winner in 2020 -- though it did not snag any acting nominations. Youn played down excitement over her chance to make history at next month's ceremony, saying: "I don't enjoy the competition." "This is not a playoff game of actors, placing them in order. I consider this nomination just as valuable as the actual award." Her two grown sons are Asian-Americans and she said she had taken a role in "this small movie made by second-generation Korean-Americans" for its own reward. Based on director Lee Isaac Chung's experiences growing up in the 1980s, "Minari" follows a Korean-born father who moves his family to an all-white town in rural Arkansas in pursuit of a better life. Bong Joon-ho, who earned last year's Best Director Oscar for dark satire "Parasite", said the role was "the loveliest character Youn has ever played". It is the latest of several grandmotherly castings for Youn, who has already picked up a host of best-supporting actress awards at US film festivals and is on the shortlist for a Screen Actors Guild Award. Busan International Film Festival programme director Nam Dong-chul told AFP that Youn's Oscar nomination "acknowledges an extraordinary actress who has pioneered her own path for a very long time". "I don't think she ever intended to break into the international film scene," he said, "but throughout decades she has developed a fine taste when choosing her projects". - 'Scarlet letter' - In a career spanning more than 50 years, Youn has often played provocative and atypical characters who do not conform to the rules of socially conservative Korean society. Born in 1947 in Kaesong -- now in North Korea -- she made her film debut in groundbreaking director Kim Ki-young's 1971 "Woman of Fire", as the live-in maid to a middle-class household who becomes impregnated by the father of the family. The thriller was a critical and commercial hit, and remains a classic of modern South Korean cinema. But Youn's first heyday came to an abrupt end in 1975, when she married singer Jo Young-nam and the couple moved to the US. Youn returned to South Korea in 1984. But after divorcing Jo three years later, she battled heavy stigma to resume her acting career to support her two children. "To be divorced was like having the scarlet letter at the time," Youn told a local magazine in 2009. "There was this thing that dictated women shouldn't make TV appearances so soon after their divorce." She countered by accepting every role she was offered, however small. "I worked very hard. I had this mission of somehow feeding my children. I'd say yes even when I was asked to climb 100 stairs." - 'Fiercely competitive waters' - By the 1990s Youn was a regular in TV dramas, often portraying mothers, and later grandmothers. In 2003, Youn made her film comeback in director Im Sang-soo's "A Good Lawyer's Wife", as an unconventional mother-in-law in a dysfunctional family. She played a cruel and rich heiress betrayed by her husband in Im's 2012 thriller "Taste of Money", and an ageing haenyeo -- the women of Jeju island who free-dive to collect shellfish -- reunited with her long-lost granddaughter in 2016 drama "Canola". Also in 2016, she was praised for her role in E J-yong's drama "The Bacchus Lady" as an elderly prostitute -- a veteran of the brothels set up for US soldiers in the South -- who becomes involved in the deaths of former clients. Youn is "one of the few leading actresses of her generation" to have worked consistently in Korean cinema over the last two decades, said Jason Bechervaise, a professor at Korea Soongsil Cyber University. She had to navigate, he added, the "fiercely competitive waters" of a film and television industry "largely focused on young and often male talent for leading roles".

Nonconformist Youn Yuh-jung: South Korea's first Oscar-nominated actress

The Oscars ceremony in April will be an intimate, in-person gathering, held without Zoom and limited to nominees, presenters and their guests, the producers said on Thursday. 
 
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the ceremony for highest honours in the movie industry will be held both at the Union Station in Downtown Los Angeles and the traditional home of the Academy Awards at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood. 
 
Everyone will be tested, and there will be a COVID-19 safety team on site throughout the evening on April 25. 
 
"There will not be an option to Zoom in for the show," producers Steven Soderbergh, Jesse Collins and Stacey Sher said in a note to the more than 200 nominees this year. 
 
"We are going to great lengths to provide a safe and ENJOYABLE evening for all of you in person, as well as for all the millions of film fans around the world, and we feel the virtual thing will diminish those efforts," the producers added. 
 
They said nominees and their guests would gather at a courtyard in the Union rail station, while other show elements would be held live inside the Dolby Theatre some 8 miles (12.9 km) away. 
 
Normally, hundreds of the world`s top movie stars would gather in the 3,400-seat theatre for a live show preceded by a red carpet packed with photographers and camera crews. The attendance will be limited to nominees, presenters and a few guests this year.&nbsp; 
 
Other awards shows in recent months have replaced the usual gatherings at gala dinners and on stage with pre-recorded appearances or virtual events or a combination. 
 
Television audiences have slumped, with the Golden Globes and the Grammys attracting the smallest numbers in decades. 
 
Nominations for the Oscars were announced on Monday, with 1930s Hollywood drama 'Mank'&nbsp;leading the field with 10, followed by 'The Father,'&nbsp;Black Panther story 'Judas and the Black Messiah,'&nbsp;Korean-language drama 'Minari,'&nbsp;'Nomadland,'&nbsp;#MeToo revenge tale 'Promising Young Woman,'&nbsp;Amazon Studio deaf drama 'Sound of Metal,'&nbsp;and 1960s Vietnam War courtroom drama 'The Trial of the Chicago 7.' See the complete list of <a href="https://www.wionews.com/entertainment/oscars-2021-nominations-complete-list-of-nominees-370644">Oscar nominees here.&nbsp;</a>

The Oscars ceremony in April will be an intimate, in-person gathering, held without Zoom and limited to nominees, presenters and their guests, the producers said on Thursday.

The Oscars ceremony in April will be an intimate, in-person gathering, held without Zoom and limited to nominees, presenters and their guests, the producers said on Thursday. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the ceremony for highest honours in the movie industry will be held both at the Union Station in Downtown Los Angeles and the traditional home of the Academy Awards at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood. Everyone will be tested, and there will be a COVID-19 safety team on site throughout the evening on April 25. "There will not be an option to Zoom in for the show," producers Steven Soderbergh, Jesse Collins and Stacey Sher said in a note to the more than 200 nominees this year. "We are going to great lengths to provide a safe and ENJOYABLE evening for all of you in person, as well as for all the millions of film fans around the world, and we feel the virtual thing will diminish those efforts," the producers added. They said nominees and their guests would gather at a courtyard in the Union rail station, while other show elements would be held live inside the Dolby Theatre some 8 miles (12.9 km) away. Normally, hundreds of the world`s top movie stars would gather in the 3,400-seat theatre for a live show preceded by a red carpet packed with photographers and camera crews. The attendance will be limited to nominees, presenters and a few guests this year. Other awards shows in recent months have replaced the usual gatherings at gala dinners and on stage with pre-recorded appearances or virtual events or a combination. Television audiences have slumped, with the Golden Globes and the Grammys attracting the smallest numbers in decades. Nominations for the Oscars were announced on Monday, with 1930s Hollywood drama 'Mank' leading the field with 10, followed by 'The Father,' Black Panther story 'Judas and the Black Messiah,' Korean-language drama 'Minari,' 'Nomadland,' #MeToo revenge tale 'Promising Young Woman,' Amazon Studio deaf drama 'Sound of Metal,' and 1960s Vietnam War courtroom drama 'The Trial of the Chicago 7.' See the complete list of Oscar nominees here.

No Zoom for intimate 2021 Oscars, producers say

The Oscars 2021 ceremony will follow the path set by Golden Globes held earlier this month. It is going to be a socially-distanced show and will be held in at least two locations.&nbsp;

The Academy made the announcement today following the list of nominees that were told by presenters of the night -- Priyanka Chopra and husband Nick Jonas.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/entertainment/oscars-2021-nominations-complete-list-of-nominees-370644" hreflang="en">Oscars 2021 nominations: Complete list of nominees</a>

The ceremony will be at the Dolby Theater as originally planned, but also at the iconic Los Angeles railway hub Union Station. The Academy has also suggested the ceremony may include other remote locations as well.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/entertainment/hollywood/news-oscars-2021-priyanka-chopras-the-white-tiger-earns-a-nod-in-adapted-screenplay-category-370638" hreflang="en">Oscars 2021: Priyanka Chopra's 'The White Tiger' earns a nod in Adapted Screenplay category</a>

For those unversed, Union Station was built in 1939 and has been the site of many films over the years, including ‘The Dark Knight Rises’, ‘Blade Runner’, and ‘Pearl Harbor’. Dolby Theater has been the site of the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/oscars">Oscars</a>&nbsp;since 2002.

This will not be the first time when the Oscars ceremony will be held from two locations. Earlier the ceremony was held as a bicoastal event for several years during the 1950s.

Filmmakers Steven Soderbergh and Stacey Sher and Grammys producer Jesse Collins will produce the telecast. No host has been announced.

The Oscars will air April 25.&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/chloe-zhao-to-emerald-funnel-oscars-2021-best-director-nominees-370695" hreflang="en">Chloe Zhao to Emerald Funnel, Oscars 2021 Best Director Nominees</a>

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/oscars-the-shortlisted-films-in-best-international-feature-film-category-370672" hreflang="en">Oscars: The shortlisted films in Best International Feature Film category</a>

The Oscars 2021 ceremony will follow the path set by Golden Globes held earlier this month. It is going to be a socially-distanced show and will be held in at least two locations.

The Oscars 2021 ceremony will follow the path set by Golden Globes held earlier this month. It is going to be a socially-distanced show and will be held in at least two locations. The Academy made the announcement today following the list of nominees that were told by presenters of the night -- Priyanka Chopra and husband Nick Jonas. Oscars 2021 nominations: Complete list of nominees The ceremony will be at the Dolby Theater as originally planned, but also at the iconic Los Angeles railway hub Union Station. The Academy has also suggested the ceremony may include other remote locations as well. Oscars 2021: Priyanka Chopra's 'The White Tiger' earns a nod in Adapted Screenplay category For those unversed, Union Station was built in 1939 and has been the site of many films over the years, including ‘The Dark Knight Rises’, ‘Blade Runner’, and ‘Pearl Harbor’. Dolby Theater has been the site of the Oscars since 2002. This will not be the first time when the Oscars ceremony will be held from two locations. Earlier the ceremony was held as a bicoastal event for several years during the 1950s. Filmmakers Steven Soderbergh and Stacey Sher and Grammys producer Jesse Collins will produce the telecast. No host has been announced. The Oscars will air April 25. Chloe Zhao to Emerald Funnel, Oscars 2021 Best Director Nominees Oscars: The shortlisted films in Best International Feature Film category

Oscars 2021 to be held in two locations as the Academy unveils new venue

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