FRANCES MCDORMAND WINS BEST ACTRESS ACADEMY AWARD FOR ‘NOMADLAND’

WASHINGTON [US]: American actor Frances McDormand took home the Oscar in the Best Actress category for her much-appreciated performance in ‘Nomadland’. In the movie, McDormand played the role of a person who is in a group of retirees struggling to make ends meet. Written and directed by Chloe Zhao, the film was inspired by Jessica Bruder’s non-fiction book ‘Nomadland: Surviving America in the Twenty-First Century’.

This is McDormand’s third-best actress Oscar, she took the prize for ‘Fargo’ in 1997 and ‘Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri’ in 2018. Only Katharine Hepburn, with four awards, has won more best actress Oscars than her. She was considered a strong favourite for the award having won best actress at the BAFTAs and best actress in a film (drama) at the Golden Globes, but still had to defeat a strong list of contenders including Viola Davis for ‘Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom’ and Carey Mulligan in ‘Promising Young Woman’.

McDormand’s win also marked the third award for ‘Nomadland’ at the 2021 Oscars, as previously Zhao bagged the Best Direction award for the movie, which also won the Best Picture award. ‘Nomadland’ was Zhao’s third feature film, following 2015’s ‘Songs My Brothers Taught Me’ and 2017’s much-lauded ‘The Rider’. Her next film project is Marvel’s highly anticipated ‘Eternals’, which is currently scheduled for a fall release after being delayed because of COVID-19. The 93rd Academy Awards were held at both the Dolby Theatre and Union Station. The ceremony took place two months later than originally planned, due to the impact left by the COVID-19 pandemic on the entertainment industry. The nominations for the 93rd Academy Awards were announced on March 15 this year. This is only the fourth time in history that the Academy Awards were postponed.