Oscars get under way as 'Nomadland' seeks big prize

A unique pandemic-era Oscars kicked off in Los Angeles on Sunday.

HOLLYWOOD (AFP) - A unique pandemic-era Oscars kicked off in Los Angeles on Sunday with a movie-style opening credits sequence as actor-director Regina King strode into the ceremony s train station venue clutching a gold statuette.

Chloe Zhao s road movie "Nomadland", about transient Americans roaming the West in vans, is tipped to be one of the top winners on a night when Hollywood A-listers are reuniting for the first time in over a year.

"Live TV, here we go. Welcome to the 93rd Oscars!" said King as she opened the in-person Academy Awards, which were shifted to a glammed-up Union Station to enable strict Covid-19 protocols.

"And, yes, we are doing it maskless... think of this as a movie set, an Oscars movie," she added.

"With a cast of over 200 nominees, people have been vaxxed, tested, re-tested, socially distanced, and we re following all of the rigorous protocols that got us back to work safely."

Before the show, stars paused briefly for pictures and socially distanced interviews on what organizers called a "teeny-tiny red carpet," where actresses Carey Mulligan and Andra Day were among those who dazzled in Oscars gold.

Zhao attended alongside some of the real-life "nomads" who played fictional versions of themselves in her film.

"It s so amazing to be able to unite with our peers, and to celebrate in person. It feels amazing," she said, dressed in a dress -- and sneakers.

While "Nomadland" is an overall favorite on Sunday, it lost out early in the gala for best adapted screenplay to "The Father," adapted by French playwright Florian Zeller from his own stage production.

The usual throng of photographers was slashed due to pandemic restrictions, as was the guest list, with even studio execs forced to watch on television.

"We re here, isn t it crazy? Human beings in the flesh!" said best actor nominee and "Sound of Metal" star Riz Ahmed.

Glenn Close, a nominee for best supporting actress, said as she arrived at the event: "I have not been in a big city in over a year."

-  Up in the air  -

"Nomadland," which has swept most of the awards shows in the run-up to the Oscars, entered Sunday as one of the clearest best picture frontrunners in years.

Zhao is also tipped to become the second woman, and first of color, to win the golden statuette for best director.

With movie theaters closed all year, and blockbuster content delayed, her film -- like rivals "Minari" and "Sound of Metal" -- captured the pandemic zeitgeist with its stunning portrait of the isolated margins of society.

"I m glad for this moment," said "Minari" nominee Steven Yeun, expressing hope that the Korean-American immigrant drama "finds and connects with" viewers.

Contenders like "Promising Young Woman" -- which won best original screenplay, the night s first award -- and "The Trial of the Chicago 7" tapped into themes of #MeToo and anti-racism protest that feel more relevant than ever, but those films are still outsiders for best picture.

The acting races -- in which it is realistic that all four prizes could go to people of color, after years of #OscarsSoWhite complaints -- promise more tension.

Best actress in particular is "up in the air," according to Deadline awards columnist Pete Hammond -- all five contenders including "Nomadland" star Frances McDormand, Viola Davis ("Ma Rainey s Black Bottom") and Carey Mulligan ("Promising Young Woman") have won awards for their work.

The late Chadwick Boseman is tipped to win only the third posthumous acting Oscar in history for his lead role in "Ma Rainey," but one Academy voter told AFP that Anthony Hopkins  turn as a dementia sufferer in "The Father" could produce "a surprise."

Daniel Kaluuya won for best supporting actor as expected for "Judas and the Black Messiah," while South Korea s Youn Yuh-jung ("Minari") is the one to beat for supporting actress honors.

A win for "The Trial of the Chicago 7" or "Mank" would hand Netflix the first-ever streaming win for best picture -- "Sound of Metal" would do the same for rival Amazon.

-  Opportunity  -

This year s 93rd Oscars arrived at their Union Station venue two months late -- organizers have said it would have been "impossible" without the delay.

In a nod to the past year s unique circumstances, the show has a large physical footprint.

The pre-show featured a performance of best song nominee "Husavik" from the tiny Icelandic port of the same name, complete with a choir of children singing in woolly sweaters and a backdrop of fishing boats.

Other musical performances came from the Academy s new film museum, while Europeans unable to travel gathered at "hubs" in London and Paris.

Some later elements of the show will come from the Oscar s traditional Hollywood theater base.

But the main business of handing out golden statuettes will take place at the 1930s-built station, distinctive for its Spanish colonial and Art Deco stylings.

The venue was chosen for its grand scale and outdoor courtyards, where white tents sheltering everything from Covid testing booths to catering were installed in recent days, to the bemusement of onlookers who had just come to catch a train.