SAâs âMy Octopus Teacherâ wins best documentary film Oscar
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The proudly South African Oscar won by âMy Octopus Teacherâ for Best Documentary Film on Monday morning has laid the foundation for an unprecedented increase in ocean awareness.
The film, which has won more than 20 international awards, including Best Documentary at the British Academy Film Awards (BAFTA) and Producers Guild of America Awards, becomes the first nature documentary to win an Academy Award since The Cove in 2010.
Co-director Pippa Ehrlich, who accepted the iconic gold statuette at the Academy Awards in Los Angeles with co directing colleague James Reed, said she was âutterly overwhelmedâ with âan honour we never dreamed possibleâ.
It s been a longer-than-usual road to the Oscars, with Hollywood navigating a year pretty much without movie theaters, a smaller volume of top-notch contenders, a slew of virtual film festivals and an awards season full of delayed shows and Zoom acceptance speeches.
But on Sunday at the 93rd Academy Awards (ABC, 8 EDT/5 PDT), a new crop of winners will be announced for the first time amid a pandemic and the movie industry will have something to celebrate for a change.
Outside of the eight best picture candidates – which has been led by Chloé Zhao s acclaimed road-trip tale Nomadland – most of the drama this Oscar race has been centered on the unpredictable best actress category: While the other three acting categories seem pretty set (and a posthumous Oscar almost assured for Chadwick Boseman), recent SAG Awards winner Viola Davis could make history as the first Black woman to take home two Oscars.
Oscars 2021: In a surprise, Anthony Hopkins wins best actor for The Father
It was a surprise win for the actor as many expected the Academy to honour late star Chadwick Boseman for his performance in Ma Rainey s Black Bottom .
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LOS ANGELES: Veteran Hollywood star Anthony Hopkins won the best actor award at the 93rd Academy Awards for his role in The Father . It was a surprise win for the actor as many expected the Academy to honour late star Chadwick Boseman for his performance in Ma Rainey s Black Bottom .
In the last few weeks actor Riz Ahmed had also emerged as a challenger for his performance in Sound of Metal . Boseman died in 2020 after a secret four-year battle with colon cancer. Other nominees in the category were Gary Oldman and Steven Yeun.
FILE - In this Feb. 15, 2011 file photo, Anthony Hopkins smiles while posing for photos prior to the premiere of his new film The Rite in Mexico City. “Nomadland” has won four prizes, including best picture, at the British Academy Film Awards on Sunday, April 11, 2021. The film’s director, Chloe Zhao, became only the second woman to win the best director trophy, and star Frances McDormand was named best actress. “Nomadland” also took the cinematography prize on Sunday. Emerald Fennell’s revenge comedy “Promising Young Woman” was named best British film, while the best actor trophy went to 83-year-old Anthony Hopkins for playing a man grappling with dementia in “The Father.” An event that was criticized in the recent past with the label #BAFTAsSoWhite rewarded a diverse group of talents, during a pandemic-curbed ceremony at Londonâ€
WATCH: âMy Octopus Teacherâs Craig Foster âdeeply honouredâ by Oscar win
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Share My Octopus Teacherâ, which has won more than 20 international awards, including Best Documentary at the British Academy Film Awards (BAFTA) and Producers Guild of America Awards, becomes the first nature documentary to win an Academy Award since The Cove in 2010.
Craig Foster, a documentary filmmaker for 28 years, says the Oscar victory brings life affirming kudos to the media advocacy work by the filmâs producing entity the Sea Change Project, which he co founded with My Octopus Teacher Associate Producer Ross Frylinck in 2012.
âThe Academy Award elevates the Great African Seaforest and surrounding ocean of South Africa into global iconic status. This is excellent news for us, because it underlines what we have been aiming for: to show the world that we are sitting on a biodiversity treasure trove that is deeply worthy of protection.â