Mads Mikkelsen earned best actor playing a high school teacher engaged in heavy drinking in Thomas Vinterberg’s Danish dramedy. 

Though considerably abridged and necessarily contrived due to its theatrical origins, as of today, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom is the most powerfully acted drama of the year, boasting a terrific ensemble, headed by Viola Davis and Chadwick Boseman in Oscar-caliber performances.

George Clooney directs, produces and stars in the film as Augustine, a lone scientist in the Arctic amidst the aftermath of a global catastrophe.

“I fear a generation of viewers who did not live through these events may mistake fiction for fact,” said culture secretary Oliver Dowden. 

Oscar 2021: Best Supporting Actor–Predictions of Frontrunners; Strong Contenders; Also in the Run