Where to Watch the Oscar-Nominated Movies in Canada
Updated: Mar. 31, 2021
While it’s unlikely you’ll be able to catch these flicks on the big screen, they’re easily accessible on streaming or home video.
And the nominees are…
The nominees for the 93rd Academy Awards were announced on March 15, kicking off Oscars season. Like everything in a pandemic world, this year’s Academy Awards have been delayed, with the ceremony being held on April 25th—much later than the normal late-February show.
This year’s Oscars are making history for a couple of reasons, pandemic aside. This is the first time that multiple women have been nominated for Best Director (Emerald Fennell for Promising Young Woman and Chloé Zhao for Nomadland). And a record number of actors of colour are also nominated this year, including Minari star Steven Yeun who is the first Asian American nominated for Best Actor, and Sound of Metal’s Riz Ahmed, who is the first Muslim nominated for Best Actor.
There’s a lot to catch up on, especially since many of the nominated movies had very limited theatrical releases (or none at all in Canada) due to COVID restrictions. Luckily, most of these films are available for streaming, or can be rented, so you can watch from the comfort of your own home before the big night.
Here’s where you can watch 15 Oscar-nominated movies in Canada.
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Mank
Leading the pack with 10 nominations, including Best Director, Best Actor (Gary Oldman), Best Supporting Actress (Amanda Seyfried) and Best Picture, Mank tells the story of screenwriter Herman J. Mankiewicz (Oldman) and his creative differences with director Orson Welles (Tom Burke) as the former races to finish the screenplay for the iconic film Citizen Kane.
Stream Mank on Netflix.
The Father
This French-British co-production stars Anthony Hopkins as a father refusing assistance from his daughter (Olivia Colman) as he begins to develop dementia. The Father garnered six nominations, including Best Picture, Best Actor (Hopkins) and Best Supporting Actress (Colman).
Rent The Father on Amazon Video, Cineplex, and the digital TIFF Bell Lightbox.
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Judas and the Black Messiah
This movie earned six nominations, including Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor (for both Daniel Kaluuya and Lakeith Stanfield) and Best Original Song. Judas and the Black Messiah depicts the story of Fred Hampton (Kaluuya), the chairman of the Illinois chapter of the Black Panther Party, and petty criminal turned FBI operative William O’Neil (Stanfield).
Rent Judas and the Black Messiah on iTunes, Google Play, YouTube, Cineplex, and Amazon Prime Video.
Minari
Based on writer-director Lee Isaac Chung’s childhood, Minari follows a Korean American family chasing the American dream by buying a farm in Arkansas. The film earned 6 nominations, including Best Actor (Steven Yuen), Best Supporting Actress (Youn Yuh-jung), Best Director and Best Picture.
Rent Minari on iTunes, Google Play, Amazon Prime Video, and Cineplex.
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Nomadland
Chloé Zhao’s film follows Fern (Frances McDormand), a van-dwelling modern-day nomad who travels around America jumping from gig to gig. Zhao based her film on the real-life accounts of nomads who she cast in the film as themselves. Nomadland garnered six nominations including Best Actress (McDormand), Best Director and Best Picture.
Rent Nomadland on iTunes, Google Play, Amazon Prime Video and Cineplex. Or, you can stream it on Disney+ after April 9
Sound of Metal
Starring Riz Ahmed as Ruben, a noise metal drummer whose life is changed when he begins to lose his hearing, Sound of Metal earned six nominations, including Best Actor (Ahmed), Best Supporting Actor (Paul Raci) and Best Picture.
Rent Sound of Metal on iTunes, Google Play, Amazon Prime Video and Cineplex.
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The Trial of the Chicago 7
Aaron Sorkin’s historical legal drama about the Chicago Seven, a group of anti-Vietnam War protestors, features an all-star ensemble cast including Sacha Baron Cohen, Eddie Redmayne, Seth Rogan, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt. It’s nominated in six categories including Best Supporting Actor (Baron Cohen), Best Original Screenplay and Best Picture.
Promising Young Woman
The Crown and Fleabag’s Emerald Fennell’s feature debut depicts a young woman’s (Carey Mulligan) desire for revenge. The black comedy/thriller earned five nominations including Best Actress (Mulligan), Best Director and Best Picture.
Rent Promising Young Woman on iTunes, Google Play, Amazon Prime Video and Cineplex.
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Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
Based on a play of the same name, this movie follows blues singer Ma Rainey (Viola Davis) and dramatizes a turbulent recording session in 1927. Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom garnered five nominations, including Best Actor (Chadwick Boseman) and Best Actress (Davis).
One Night in Miami…
Regina King’s directorial debut is a fictionalized account of a February 1964 meeting of Malcom X, Muhammad Ali, Jim Brown and Sam Cooke. The film earned three nominations: Best Supporting Actor (Leslie Odom Jr.), Best Original Song (“Speak Now” by Leslie Odom Jr.) and Best Adapted Screenplay.
Soul
Pixar’s latest film follows a middle school music teacher trying to reunite his soul and body after they’re accidentally separated right before his big break as a jazz pianist. It’s also Pixar’s first film to feature a Black protagonist. Soul is nominated for three Oscars, including Best Animated Feature Film.
Stream Soul on Disney+.
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Hillbilly Elegy
Starring Amy Adams and Glenn Close, Hillbilly Elegy follows a Yale Law student (Gabriel Basso) as he returns to his Ohio hometown after a family emergency. Hillbilly Elegy is nominated for two Academy Awards, including a Best Supporting Actress nod for Glenn Close.
Stream Hillbilly Elegy on Netflix.
Borat Subsequent Moviefilm
The sequel to Borat, which made headlines earlier last year because of a controversial scene featuring Donald Trump’s personal attorney Rudy Giuliani, is nominated in two categories: Best Supporting Actress (Maria Bakalova) and Best Adapted Screenplay.
Stream Borat Subsequent Moviefilm on Amazon Prime Video.
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The United States Vs. Billie Holiday
This biographical film follows singer Billie Holiday (Andra Day) in the 1940s, as she’s being targeted by the government in an effort to racialize the war on drugs and stop her from singing her controversial song “Strange Fruit.” The film has one nomination: Best Supporting Actress for Day.
Rent The United States Vs. Billie Holiday on iTunes, Google Play and Cineplex.
Pieces of a Woman
This Canadian-American coproduction starring Vanessa Kirby and Shia LaBoeuf depicts a woman grappling with grief and isolation after a home birth. Pieces of a Woman garnered one nomination: a nod for Best Supporting Actress for Kirby.
Stream Pieces of a Woman on Netflix.
Now that you know how to watch the Oscar nominees in Canada, check out six fantastic new movies to get you out of your streaming slump.
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