‘My Octopus Teacher' Wins the Oscar for Best Documentary
The film became a sleeper hit
By Mark Kennedy ••
NBCUniversal Media, LLC
“Nomadland” took home the awards for Best Picture, Best Actress and Best Director at the 2021 Academy Awards. See who else picked up an Oscar.
“My Octopus Teacher,” the tale of an eight-limbed creature and her human companion, has won the Oscar for best documentary.
Ten years in the making, “My Octopus Teacher” began as a personal video project by South African filmmaker Craig Foster to rekindle his connection with nature by observing an inquisitive female mollusk while free-diving near Cape Town.
He filmed their interactions and became increasingly dazzled by how she could fashion tools from shells, furl herself in ribbons of kelp to avoid detection, outwit a a pajama shark and adjust her hunting techniques to envelop crabs, lobsters and fish. Viewers even see her play.
The lifespan of a female octopus of the kind Foster met extends to only about 18 months. But that was enough time for him and his fellow directors Pippa Ehrlich and James Reed to be profoundly impacted by her.
ABC via Getty Images
"Promising Young Woman" star Carey Mulligan chose a gold Valentino dress for Sunday's Academy Awards. She was nominated for best actress.
Matt Petit/A.M.P.A.S. via Getty Images
Chloé Zhao, who won best director for her film "Nomadland," walks the red carpet with Joshua James Richards.
Chris Pizzello-Pool/Getty Images
Zendaya, star of "Euphoria," wore a yellow Valentino design.
Viola Davis wears an Alexander McQueen gown and Forevermark jewelry pieces.
Chris Pizzelo-Pool/Getty Images
Dressed in a stunning Louis Vuitton dress, Regina King arrives at the 2021 Oscars.
Chris Pizzelo-Pool/Getty Images
Andra Day, star of "The United States vs. Billie Holiday," wears a Vera Wang creation.
Chris Pizzelo-Pool/Getty Images
Amanda Seyfried donned an Armani Privé gown on the red carpet. She was nominated for best supporting actress for her role in "Mank."
"One Night in Miami..." star Leslie Odom Jr., who was nominated for best supporting actor, arrives at the Oscars.
AP Photo/Chris Pizzello, Pool
Halle Berry arrives at the Academy Awards.
AP Photo/Chris Pizzello, Pool
Paul Raci, left, and Liz Hanley Raci arrive at the Oscars. Paul was nominated for best supporting actor for his role in "Sound of Metal."
Youn Yuh-jung, who won best supporting actress for her role in "Minari," walks the red carpet.
Chris Pizzello-Pool/Getty Images
"The Morning Show" star Reese Witherspoon arrives at the Academy Awards.
Steven Yeun, left, and Joana Pak arrive at the Oscars. Yeun was nominated for best actor for his role in "Minari."
"Minari" star Alan S. Kim, left, and Vicky Kim show off their looks at the Oscars.
Celeste Waite, who chose a Gucci look for Sunday night's ceremony, arrives at the red carpet.
ABC via Getty Images
Maria Bakalova, dressed in a Louis Vuitton gown, was nominated for best supporting actress for her part in "Borat Subsequent Moviefilm."
ABC via Getty Images
Marlee Matlin wore a Vivienne Westwood dress Sunday night.
Getty Images
Glenn Close arrives at the Oscars. She was nominated for best supporting actress for her role in "Hillbilly Elegy."
Matt Petit/A.M.P.A.S. via Getty Images
"Judas and the Black Messiah" star Daniel Kaluuya arrives for the Academy Awards ceremony. He later won an award for best supporting actor.
Chris Pizzelo-Pool/Getty Images
Riz Ahmed, nominated for best actor for his part in "Sound of Metal," arrives for the ceremony.
AP Photo/Rick Rycroft, Pool
Sacha Baron Cohen and Isla Fisher pose for a photo during a screening of the Oscars on Monday April 26, 2021, in Sydney, Australia. The "Borat Subsequent Moviefilm" star was nominated for best supporting actor.
Chris Pizzelo-Pool/Getty Images
Singer H.E.R. walks the red carpet. She won her first Oscar Sunday night for her song "Fight for You" from "Judas and the Black Messiah."
Chris Pizzelo-Pool/Getty Images
Vanessa Kirby, nominated for best actress for her role in "Pieces of a Woman," wore a Gucci gown.
AP Photo/Chris Pizzello, Pool
Attendees prepare for the beginning of the Oscars.
AP Photo/Chris Pizzello, Pool
A step-and-repeat backdrop for the Academy Awards red carpet is pictured at Union Station, one of the locations for Sunday’s 93rd Academy Awards.
AP Photo/Chris Pizzello, Pool
An Oscar statue design on a red carpet backdrop is pictured at Union Station.
AP Photo/Chris Pizzello, Pool
A view of the red carpet appears before the start of the Oscars.
AP Photo/Chris Pizzello
A fake Oscar statue is pictured in the window of a gift shop on Hollywood Blvd., Thursday, April 15, 2021, in Los Angeles.
AP Photo/Chris Pizzello
A sign advertising this year’s Oscars ceremony is pictured near the Dolby Theatre, Thursday, April 15, 2021, in Los Angeles.
“This really is a tiny personal story that played out in a sea forest at the very top of Africa. But, on a more universal level, I hope that it provided a glimpse of a different kind of relationship between human beings and the natural world,” Ehrlich said on the telecast.
Foster has said his relationship with the octopus taught him about life’s fragility and our connection with nature, and even helped him become a better father.
Reed thanked Foster at the ceremony, saying: “He kind of showed us if a man can form a friendship with an octopus, it does sort of make you wonder what else is possible.”
The film became a sleeper hit, earning a Directors Guild of America nomination, then an Oscar nod, a BAFTA award and was named top documentary at the Producers Guild of America Awards.
Plenty of famous fans have endorsed the sweet story on social media: “I really recommend this movie,” Amy Schumer wrote Instagram. Brittany Snow chimed in on Schumer’s post that she’s “never cried more,” and Justin Theroux added, “Concur. Had me in tears. Bye calamari.”
Zach Braff added the film “will cleanse your brain’s palate from the overwhelming dread and ennui and melancholia it may or may not be feeling.”
Ehrlich has said she has been delighted by the response, particularly when iconic naturalist Jane Goodall said her favorite films are “The Lord of the Rings” and “My Octopus Teacher.”
For the Oscar, “My Octopus Teacher” beat out “Collective,” “Crip Camp,” “The Mole Agent” and “Time.”
