Viola Davis as Ma Rainey in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom. Courtesy of Netflix
A diverse range of films has been nominated for this year’s 93rd Academy Awards. From two films by female Arab directors to many more starring actors from underrepresented groups, here’s where you can watch all the Oscar-nominated films in the UAE.
1. Mank
Where to watch: Netflix
Mank is a black and white biographical adaptation of Hollywood in the 1930s through the eyes of social critic and screenwriter Herman J Mankiewicz, and his race to finish the screenplay for Citizen Kane.
Nominations: 10 nominations including, Best Picture, Best Actor for Gary Oldman, Best Supporting Actress for Amanda Seyfried, Best Director, Best Original Score, Best Cinematography, Best Production Design, and more.
2. The Present
Where to watch: Netflix
The Present takes you on a complicated journey centered around a simple act of kindness. Yusef played by Saleh Bakri and his young onscreen daughter set out in the West Bank to buy his wife a gift for their wedding anniversary. However, they are faced with soldiers, segregated roads, and checkpoints.
Nomination: Best Live Action Short Film
3. Sound of Metal
Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video
Starring Riz Ahmed, Sound of Metal is about a rock-n-roll drummer and recovering addict whose life is forever changed when he loses his ability to hear. The plot weaves a narrative that is less about his loss of hearing but more about seeking truth and purpose in a reconfigured reality.
Nominations: A total of six Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Director, and Best Supporting Actor, and Best Original Screen Play
4. Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
Where to watch: Netflix
Set in the 1920s, this movie highlights the tensions rising between blues singer Ma Rainey and horn player as well as the all-white management determined to put shackles on the ‘Mother of Blues’.
Nominations: Best Actor posthumously for Chadwick Boseman, Best Actress for Viola Davis, Best Production Design, Best Costume Design, and Best Makeup and Hair Styling.
5. The Trial of Chicago 7
Where to watch: Netflix
The film tells the true story surrounding the seven people that got arrested during the uprising that occurred during the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Illinois.
Nominations: Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor for Sacha Baron Cohen, Best Original Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Film Editing.
6. One Night in Miami…
Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video
A fictional account of one night where four black historical icons, Muhammad Ali, Malcolm X, Sam Cooke, and Jim Brown gather to discuss their roles in the Civil Rights Movement and the cultural upheaval that occurred in the 1960s.
Nominations: Best Supporting Actor for Leslie Odom Jr. and Best Adapted Screenplay
7. Hillbilly Elegy
Where to watch: Netflix
A Yale student returns home to his small town, faced with an uncomfortable reflection on three generations of family history, and new family dynamics.
Nominations: Best Supporting Actress and Best Makeup and Hair Styling.
8. The Father
Where to watch: Out in cinemas
The Father is about a man refusing to come to terms with his current condition. As he ceases to accept any support from his daughter, he battles with doubting his loved ones, his own mind, and the fabric of his own reality.
Nominations: Best Picture, Best Actor for Anthony Hopkins, Best Supporting Actress for Olivia Colman, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Production Design, and Best Film Editing.
9. Nomadland
Where to watch: In cinemas starting March 25
After loosing everything in the Great Recession, a woman embarks on a journey through America’s Wild West, living as a modern day nomad.
Nominations: Best Picture, Best Actress for Frances McDormand, Best Director for Chloe Zhao, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Cinematography, and Best Film Editing
10. My Octopus Teacher
Where to watch: Netflix
A filmmaker forges an unusual friendship with an octopus living in a South African kelp forest, learning the many wonders and mysteries of the world alongside the animal.
Nominations: Best Documentary Feature
11. Time
Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video
Filmed over two decades, the film documents Fox Rich’s trials and tribulations as she raises six children while also fighting for the release of her husband from prison.
Nominations: Best Documentary Feature
12. Crip Cramp
Where to watch: Netflix
A documentary centered around a summer camp for young disabled people that opened in 1971. It highlights the transformative impact the camp held alongside igniting a landmark liberation movement.
Nominations: Best Documentary Feature
13. Mulan
Where to watch: OSN
A young Chinese woman disguises herself as a male warrior in order to defend her father as well as her country.
Nominations: Best Visual Effects, Best Costume Design
14. The White Tiger
Where to watch: Netflix
An ambitious Indian driver uses his drive to escape from poverty and make his way up the social ladder only to find himself confronted with the lengths the upper class would go to maintain their power. It is an enticing social commentary based on the New York Times bestseller.
Nominations: Best Adapted Screenplay
15. Soul
Where to watch: OSN
A New York pianist with a passion for jazz music finds himself trapped in a strangle realm between Earth and the afterlife, helping him find what it means to have soul.
Nominations: Best Animated Feature, Best Original Score, Best Sound
16. Pieces of a Woman
Where to watch: Netflix
A young mother’s birth ends in tragedy, finding herself trying to navigate her grief that ends up fracturing her relationships with her loved ones The movie is a personal reflection of a woman learning to live with an unfathomable loss.
Nominations: Best Actress for Vanessa Kirby
Read Next: Two Arab Female Filmmakers Have Been Nominated for This Year’s Academy Awards
