THE 93rd Academy Awards veered from the sublime to the ridiculous, with moments varying from passionate speeches and bizarre dance interludes.

Britain enjoyed a successful night at the 2021 Oscars, with a total of six wins, the same number as last year.

The film prizes were mainly handed out at Union Station in Los Angeles, where producers had said they wanted the broadcast to resemble a film.

The 2021 Oscars delivered a string of history-making moments, following a slate of nominations that smashed records for diversity and representation.

Attendees were not required to wear masks on camera but were asked to cover their faces when not on screen, and attendance was limited to 170 people, with audience members rotated in and out during the ceremony.

International nominees who did not travel to the US accepted their prizes from remote hubs, with many of the British nominees gathering at the BFI in London’s Southbank.

The most high-profile British winner was Sir Anthony Hopkins, who was named best actor for his role in The Father, in which he plays an ageing man struggling with memory loss.

He defeated presumptive favourite Chadwick Boseman, who died last year aged 43 following a private four-year battle with colon cancer, and was nominated for his performance as an ambitious trumpeter in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.

It is Sir Anthony’s second Oscar, coming 29 years after he won best actor in 1992 for The Silence Of The Lambs, the longest gap between wins by any actor in this category in the history of the Oscars; he is also the oldest winner of the best actor category.

Who won the top prize?

Road movie Nomadland won the top prize at the Oscars, where director Chloe Zhao made history.

Zhao, who was born in China, is the first woman of colour to win the award for directing, and only the second woman in history.

The only other woman to win the directing prize is Kathryn Bigelow, who was honoured for The Hurt Locker in 2010.

Nomadland, which tells the story about a woman travelling through the American West, also scooped a best actress prize for its star Frances McDormand.

McDormand, who has now won three best actress Oscars, howled on stage as the film won the best picture gong.

Korean star Yuh-Jung Youn won the best supporting actress prize for Minari and joked about meeting actor Brad Pitt in person, as he announced her win.

She also paid tribute to the other nominees in the category saying she “doesn’t believe in competition”, while questioning how she could win over fellow nominee Glenn Close.

Referring to all the other nominees, she added that she had perhaps won because “I’m luckier than you… also maybe American hospitality for [a] Korean actor, I’m not sure but thank you so much”.

Which other Brits triumphed?

Daniel Kaluuya won the best supporting actor prize, the first black Brit to do so, as he was celebrated for his portrayal of Black Panther leader Fred Hampton in Judas And The Black Messiah.

While she missed out on best director, British filmmaker Emerald Fennell won best original screenplay for her directorial debut Promising Young Woman, and fought back tears as she delivered her improvised acceptance speech.

She is the first British woman to win in this category since it was established in its current form in 1958.

Looking at her statuette, the pregnant filmmaker said: “He’s so heavy and he’s so cold.”

Fennell, who was also pregnant during the shoot, joked she was crossing her legs during production.

Sir Christopher Hampton was joint winner of best adapted screenplay for The Father, which he co-wrote with the film’s French director Florian Zeller.

British visual effects supervisor Andrew Lockley was part of the team who picked up the award for best visual effects for the film Tenet.

Completing the half-dozen British wins was composer Atticus Ross, who collected the award for best original score for the film Soul, along with Trent Reznor and Jon Batiste.

The most number of British wins at the Oscars since 2000 is nine, in 2009, the year of Slumdog Millionaire.

The full list of winners:

  • Best Picture - Nomadland
  • Best Director - Chloé Zhao – Nomadland
  • Best Actor - Anthony Hopkins – The Father
  • Best Actress - Frances McDormand – Nomadland
  • Best Supporting Actor - Daniel Kaluuya – Judas and the Black Messiah
  • Best Supporting Actress - Youn Yuh-jung – Minari
  • Best Original Screenplay - Promising Young Woman
  • Best Adapted Screenplay - The Father
  • Best Animated Feature Film - Soul
  • Best International Feature Film - Another Round (Denmark)
  • Best Documentary Feature - My Octopus Teacher
  • Best Documentary Short Subject - Colette
  • Best Live Action Short Film - Two Distant Strangers
  • Best Animated Short Film - If Anything Happens I Love You
  • Best Original Score - Soul
  • Best Original Song - "Fight for You" from Judas and the Black Messiah
  • Best Sound - Sound of Metal
  • Best Production Design - Mank
  • Best Cinematography - Mank
  • Best Makeup and Hairstyling - Ma Rainey's Black Bottom
  • Best Costume Design - Ma Rainey's Black Bottom
  • Best Film Editing - Sound of Metal
  • Best Visual Effects - Tenet