Ma Rainey's Black Bottom among Oscar contenders

Netflix's adaptation of August Wilson's play Ma Rainey's Black Bottom is among the shortlists for this year's Oscars, which also boast a plethora of British talent.

The film, which is produced by Denzel Washington as part of his mission to adapt all ten of Wilson's century-spanning Pittsburgh Cycle, is nominated for five awards.

These include a Best Actress nod for Viola Davis, who won Best Supporting Actress in 2017 for Wilson's Fences, and a posthumous Best Actor nomination for Chadwick Boseman.

British actors up for awards include Sacha Baron-Cohen, Carey Mulligan, Olivia Colman, Daniel Kaluuya, Anthony Hopkins, Vanessa Kirby, Gary Oldman and Riz Ahmed.

The film version of Florian Zeller's play The Father, which received its UK premiere at the Tricycle Theatre (now the Kiln Theatre) in 2015, is among the eight nominations for Best Picture.

Elsewhere Emerald Fennell, who wrote the book for Andrew Lloyd Webber's upcoming musical Cinderella, is nominated for Best Director, for her film Promising Young Woman. It's the first time two women – Chloe Zhao is also nominated for Nomadland – have made the shortlist of that category.

This year's most nominated film is Mank, a biopic starring Gary Oldman as Citizen Kane scriptwriter Herman Mankiewicz.

The winners will be announced on 25 April.

2021 Oscar nominations – selected categories

Best picture

The Father
Judas and the Black Messiah
Mank
Minari
Nomadland
Promising Young Woman
Sound of Metal
The Trial of the Chicago 7

Best actress

Viola Davis, Ma Rainey's Black Bottom
Andra Day, The United States vs Billie Holiday
Vanessa Kirby, Pieces of a Woman
Frances McDormand, Nomadland
Carey Mulligan, Promising Young Woman

Best actor

Riz Ahmed, Sound of Metal
Chadwick Boseman, Ma Rainey's Black Bottom
Anthony Hopkins, The Father
Gary Oldman, Mank
Steven Yeun, Minari

Best supporting actress

Maria Bakalova, Borat Subsequent Moviefilm
Glenn Close, Hillbilly Elegy
Olivia Colman, The Father
Amanda Seyfried, Mank
Yuh-Jung Youn, Minari

Best supporting actor

Sacha Baron Cohen, The Trial of the Chicago 7
Daniel Kaluuya, Judas and the Black Messiah
Leslie Odom Jr, One Night in Miami
Paul Raci, Sound of Metal
Lakeith Stanfield, Judas and the Black Messiah

Best Director

Thomas Vinterberg, Another Round
David Fincher, Mank
Lee Isaac Chung, Minari
Chloé Zhao, Nomadland
Emerald Fennell, Promising Young Woman