The biggest snubs at the 2021 Oscar nominations

The 2021 Oscar nominations have been unveiled, and while they might not have been quite as unexpected as the Golden Globes' picks, that's not to say there weren't a few major snubs.

Here are the biggest surprise omissions from this year's nominations.

1. One Night in Miami and Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom snubbed for Best Picture

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

It seemed likely both films would secure Best Picture nominations, but surprisingly, neither did. Meanwhile, The Father and Sound of Metal, two films whose Best Picture prospects seemed less certain, did earn nods.

2. Regina King and Aaron Sorkin snubbed for Best Director

One Night in Miami's Regina King was left out of the Best Director race, and surprisingly so was The Trial of the Chicago 7's Aaron Sorkin.

3. Delroy Lindo snubbed for Best Actor

Lindo was once again shockingly snubbed for his performance in Da 5 Bloods, a film that was in general almost completely shut out, though it did get a Best Original Score nod.

4. Jodie Foster snubbed for Best Supporting Actress

Foster unexpectedly won the best supporting actress Golden Globe a few weeks ago, but that didn't prevent her from getting snubbed for The Mauritanian. The same goes for Rosamund Pike, who didn't get nominated despite a Golden Globe win.

5. Chadwick Boseman snubbed for Best Supporting Actor

Boseman was posthumously nominated for Best Actor for Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, but surprisingly not Best Supporting Actor for Da 5 Bloods, which would have given him a historic two posthumous acting nods.

6. Mank snubbed for Best Original Screenplay

Mankmay have led the Oscar nominations, but don't get too certain about its Best Picture prospects considering it was also snubbed both for Best Original Screenplay and Best Film Editing, the latter award being one that's typically crucial for a Best Picture victory. It seems Nomadland's position as Best Picture frontrunner may be safe — for now, at least.