So The Oscar Season Turned Out... Okay?
Written by Andreas Babiolakis
Today’s article is brief, but it’s something that I have had on my mind ever since the Academy Award announcements came out. I was initially concerned that this awards season, which was skewed by the pandemic, delayed and sprawled out filmic releases, and shifting awards season, would be one of the wonkiest in recent memory. If anything, the opposite has actually happened. I cannot think of a time in recent memory when most of the categories have been extremely strong. I went about my annual rankings of every category, and noticed that each group was far more difficult to sort through than usual (outside of some nominations, which felt like business as usual).
I feared that the Academy was going to have to deal with slim pickings, but I was grossly mistaken. If anything, I feel like I really got around to some great works I missed last year (since I was so preoccupied with the decades project), and a lot of these aren’t necessarily films I would have gotten around to otherwise (like The Father), but even works that wouldn’t have been on my radar if they weren’t nominated (Quo Vadis, Aida?). Usually, the Oscars are filled up with works that are okay or worse, and I have to trudge along and watch films I really wouldn’t have much interest in ever seeing (this year, only a handful of films like Hillbilly Elegy happened). Out of all of the years I couldn’t tend to the majority of contemporary films, my annual mission to watch every Academy Award nominee (to report on them) is much nicer than usual.
So, what happened? Well, there were a limited amount of films to pick, so that part of the equation stayed the same. However, the variables overall changed, especially with the extension of the actual award night and the deadline for nominations to be considered. There was a small pool of films to consider, but they were a really good batch of films. All I can hope for is that this influences the strength of the Oscars from here on out, and with an even bigger pool of films (as is normal). I don’t want to get ahead of myself, but one can hope, right?
Andreas Babiolakis has a Masters degree in Film and Photography Preservation and Collections Management from Ryerson University, as well as a Bachelors degree in Cinema Studies from York University. His favourite times of year are the Criterion Collection flash sales and the annual Toronto International Film Festival.