It was a night of surprises at the 2021 Oscars.
On Sunday, April 25, Rita Moreno had the rare honor of announcing the winner for Best Picture before the awards for Best Actor and Best Actress were handed out.
But regardless of the order, there could only be one movie that received the Best Picture of the year award. Ladies and gentlemen, congratulations are in order for Nomadland.
When accepting the award, Frances McDormand made a passionate plea to viewers to return to movie theaters and experience the Best Picture nominees up on the big screen.
"Please, watch our movie on the largest screen possible," she explained. "And one day, very, very soon, take everyone you know into a theater, shoulder to shoulder. In that dark space and watch every film that is represented here tonight. We give this one to our wolf."
Frances would then let out a howl that was dedicated to sound mixer Michael "Wolf" Snyder who passed away last month.
Director Chloé Zhao also had the opportunity to express gratitude for those who made the project possible.
"We thank the Academy and we thank our brilliant fellow nominees and we thank all the hearts and hands that come together to make this movie," she shared. "To the entire Nomadland company, we want to show our deepest gratitude to the Nomad community, all the people we met on the road."
The Best Director winner added, "Thank you for teaching us the power of resilience and hope and for reminding us what true kindness looks like."