Stream the nominees before the Academy makes its picks

The 93rd Academy Awards will be handed out on April 25. Here’s your guide to getting caught up before the big day.

Things have changed since last year’s ceremony, and it’s almost entirely due to COVID-19, which forced theaters across the country to close for up to months at a time. Studios delayed release of many of their bigger films and debuted others through a combination of limited theatrical showings and video on demand.

Meanwhile, streaming services, which have been increasingly competitive with traditional studios in recent years, jumped in to fill the gap with high-profile originals and exclusive deals with studios. Streaming originals outnumber theatrical-only debuts this year, and Amazon Prime, Hulu and HBO Max are challenging Netflix for top awards.

Add to that a delayed awards season – nominations were pushed back to March this year, and the April awards date is more than two months later than last year’s early February ceremony – and the result is that almost every major nominee is available to watch at home either through streaming services or by VOD rental. That includes six of the eight films nominated for best picture

Leading the pack this year with 10 nominations is “Mank” (rated R) starring Gary Oldman as the colorful, alcoholic “Citizen Kane” screenwriter Herman J. Mankiewicz. Netflix financed David Fincher’s labor of love tribute to classic Hollywood storytelling and mythmaking. Director Fincher, actors Oldman and Amanda Seyfried and Erik Messerschmidt’s luminous black-and-white cinematography were also nominated. (Netflix)

Netflix also picked up “The Trial of the Chicago 7” (R, six nominations), Aaron Sorkin’s lively dramatization of the real-life trial of the protest leaders at the 1968 Democratic National Convention. Actor Sacha Baron Cohen and Sorkin’s screenplay also received nods. (Netflix)

“Nomadland” (R, six nominations), Chloe Zhao’s poignant portrait of modern migrant life, earned nominations for star Frances McDormand, Zhao’s direction and screenplay and the on-the-road cinematography. (Hulu)

“Sound of Metal” (R, six nominations), starring best actor nominee Riz Ahmed as a punk-metal drummer struggling to hold on to his identity as he goes deaf, was also nominated for supporting actor Paul Raci, original screenplay and its inspired sound design. (Amazon Prime)

“Minari” (PG-13, six nominations), the tender story of a Korean-American family that moves to rural Arkansas, received nods for director and writer Lee Isaac Chung and actors Steven Yuen and Youn Yuh-jung. (Premium VOD and Cable on Demand)

Carey Mulligan earned a best actress nomination playing the “Promising Young Woman” (R, five nominations) of director and screenplay nominee Emerald Fennell’s audaciously witty revenge thriller. (VOD and Cable on Demand, also DVD and Redbox)

And while it missed the cut for best picture, “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” (R) earned five nominations, including acting nods for stars Chadwick Boseman (who died before the film’s release) and Viola Davis. (Netflix)

Only two best picture nominees are unavailable to watch at home. “The Father” (PG-13, six nominations), which also earned nods for actors Anthony Hopkins and Olivia Colman), is in theaters only but arrives on Premium VOD and Cable on Demand on March 26.

“Judas and the Black Messiah” (R, six nominations, including actors Daniel Kaluuya and Lakeith Stanfield), which debuted on HBO Max for limited 31-day run, is now in theaters only.

Here’s where you can find other nominated films (organized by streaming service):

Netflix

Along with its two best picture nominees, Netflix scored nominations for actress Vanessa Kirby in “Pieces of a Woman” (R) and supporting actress Glenn Close in “Hillbilly Elegy” (R), plus a screenplay nomination for “The White Tiger” (R) and original score for Spike Lee’s “Da 5 Bloods” (R).

You can also stream “Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon” (G) and “Over the Moon” (PG), both nominated for animated feature; nominated documentaries “Crip Camp” (R) and “My Octopus Teacher” (TV-G); and documentary short subject “A Love Song for Latasha” (TV-PG).

Amazon Prime Video

“One Night in Miami” (R) earned three nominations, including supporting actor Leslie Odom Jr. and adapted screenplay. “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm” (R) picked up nominations for screenplay and supporting actress Maria Bakalova. The intimate “Time” (PG-13) is a documentary front-runner.

Hulu

Andra Day earned a best actress nomination in the title role of “The United States vs. Billie Holiday” (R). The Danish comedy “Another Round” (Denmark, not rated, with subtitles) is up for international feature and director Thomas Vinterberg. “The Mole Agent” (Chile, not rated, with subtitles) scored a documentary nomination.

HBO Max

“Emma” (PG) was recognized for its costume design and makeup and hairstyling.

Disney+

“Soul” (PG) and “Onward” (PG) are both up for best animated feature. You can also stream the live-action “Mulan” (PG-13), nominated for costume design and visual effects, and animated short “Burrow” (G).

Apple TV+

The gorgeous Irish fable “Wolfwalkers” (PG) is a nominee for best animated feature, and the Tom Hanks World War II thriller “Greyhound” (PG-13) was nominated for sound.

VOD/Cable on Demand

The touching frontier drama “News of the World” (PG-13) with Hanks earned four nominations, including best cinematography and original score.

The new live-action “Pinocchio” (Italy, PG-13, with subtitles) earned nominations for costume design and makeup and hairstyling.

Also available are three of the films nominated for best international feature: “Collective” (Russia), which is also nominated in the documentary category, “Better Days” (China) and “Quo Vadis, Aida?” (Bosnia and Herzegovina). All are presented with subtitles.

Free streams

Three of the documentary short-subject nominees are streaming on the web. The British newspaper the Guardian presents “Colette,” the New York Times sponsors “A Concerto Is a Conversation,” and Field of Vision presents “Do Not Split.”