South African Documentary 'My Octopus Teacher' Bags An Oscar

South Africa has, once again, made it onto the Oscars winners' list. This comes after My Octopus Teacher, a 2020 Netflix original, bagged an award in the "Best Feature Documentary" category. My Octopus Teacher also won at the British Academy Film and Television Awards (BAFTAs) on Sunday, April 11.

Read: Here are 11 Oscar-Worthy African Feature Films to Watch

Produced by filmmaker Craig Foster and directed by Pippa Ehrlich, the documentary tells Foster's journey to finding purpose through an enriching year-long encounter with a wild common octopus in Cape Town's freezing waters. The documentary, shot in False Bay, is an immersive experience that captures the beauty of the undersea world, as well as learning to connect with oneself and nature.

Foster had already started documenting his free-diving experiences when he came across a young octopus that caught his attention. To earn the young octopus' confidence, he visited and tracked its movements daily for an entire year. As their intimate relationship grew, Foster learned how the young octopus slept, lived, ate and creatively protected herself from pyjama sharks.

Foster's undersea friend later dies from natural causes after mating with a bigger octopus and producing a large number of eggs. The South African filmmaker gives an endearing account of how the young octopus impacted his life. My Octopus Teacher beat strong contenders in its category — The Mole Agent (Chile), Collective (Romania), Crip Camp (USA)and Time (from the USA).

My Octopus Teacher is available on Netflix.

Here is the full list of the 2021 Oscar nominations and winners:

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

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

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 INTERNATIONAL FEATURE
Another Round
Better Days
Collective
The Man Who Sold His Skin
Quo Vadis, Aida?

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
Onward
Over the Moon
Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon
Soul
Wolfwalkers

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
Collective
Crip Camp
The Mole Agent
My Octopus Teacher
Time

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
Da 5 Bloods
Mank
Minari
News of the World
Soul

BEST ORIGINAL SONG
"Fight for You," Judas and the Black Messiah
"Hear My Voice," The Trial of the Chicago 7
"Husavik," Eurovision Song Contest
"Io Si (Seen)," The Life Ahead
"Speak Now," One Night in Miami

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Judas and the Black Messiah
Minari
Promising Young Woman
Sound of Metal
The Trial of the Chicago 7

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Borat Subsequent Moviefilm
The Father
Nomadland
One Night in Miami
The White Tiger

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Judas and the Black Messiah
Mank
News of the World
Nomadland
The Trial of the Chicago 7

BEST MAKE-UP AND HAIRSTYLING
Emma
Hillbilly Elegy
Ma Rainey's Black Bottom
Mank
Pinocchio

BEST COSTUME DESIGN
Emma
Ma Rainey's Black Bottom
Mank
Mulan
Pinocchio

BEST FILM EDITING
The Father
Nomadland
Promising Young Woman
Sound of Metal
The Trial of the Chicago 7

BEST SOUND
Greyhound
Mank
News of the World
Soul
Sound of Metal

BEST LIVE-ACTION SHORT
Feeling Through
The Letter Room
The Present
Two Distant Strangers
White Eye

BEST ANIMATED SHORT
Burrow
Genius Loci
If Anything Happens I Love You
Opera
Yes-People

BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT
Colette
A Concerto is a Conversation
Do Not Split
Hunger Ward
A Love Song for Latasha

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
Love and Monsters
The Midnight Sky
Mulan
The One and Only Ivan
Tenet

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN
The Father
Ma Rainey's Black Bottom
Mank
News of the World
Tenet