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This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at UK chapter.

The 93rd Annual Academy Awards will take place on Sunday, April 25. Here is your guide on what to watch in order to prepare for Hollywood’s biggest night:

The nominees for the biggest award of the night, Best Picture, include: “The Father,” “Judas and the Black Messiah,” “Mank,” “Minari,” “Nomadland,” “Promising Young Woman,” “Sound of Metal” and “The Trial of the Chicago 7.”

Netflix’s “Mank” has the most nominations this year with ten including Best Director, Best Supporting Actress and Best Actor, in addition to the nomination for Best Picture. “Mank” is a biographical film taking place in 1930s Hollywood and follows screenwriter Herman J. Mankiewicz as he works to finish his screenplay for Citizen Kane. 

“The Father,” “Minari,” “Sound of Metal,” “Judas and the Black Messiah,” “The Trial of Chicago 7” and “Nomadland” each received six nominations. 

“The Father” is a film co-written and directed by Florian Zeller. The film is based on Zeller’s 2012 play “La Père;” it follows Anthony Hopkins’s character as he deals with his memory loss due to dementia. 

“Minari” follows a Korean-American family as they move to a farm in Arkansas and their journey to achieve the American Dream.

“Sound of Metal” tells the story of a heavy-metal drummer who begins to experience hearing loss. When his doctor informs him that his condition will only worsen, Ruben begins to question whether his career is over.

“Judas and the Black Messiah” is a historical drama in which Bill O’Neal is offered a plea deal by the FBI to infiltrate the Black Panther Party in Illinois to gather information on Chairman Fred Hampton. 

“The Trial of the Chicago 7” is based on the 1969 trial of seven individuals who were on trial for charges relating to the protests at the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago. 

“Nomadland” follows a woman on a journey through Western America after losing everything in the Great Recession.

“Promising Young Woman” received five nominations, including Best Director. The film is a comedy-thriller following a woman as she tries to avenge her best friend’s death.

For the first time, two women are nominated for Best Director. The female nominees are “Nomadland’s” Chloé Zhao and “Promising Young Woman’s” Emerald Fennell. They are competing against “Minari’s” Lee Isaac Chung, “Another Round’s” Thomas Vinterberg and “Mank’s” David Fincher. 

Samantha is a junior studying Broadcast Journalism and Criminology at the University of Kentucky.
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