Nomadland cast: who stars with Frances McDormand in the Oscar-winning film - and how to watch movie in the UK

The 2021 Oscars marked the 93rd Academy Awards, and it was Nomadland that took home the top prizes - making history in the process.

This is everything you need to know about the Oscar winning film, from who stars alongside Frances McDormand to how you can watch it in the UK.

What is Nomadland about?

Nomadland is based on the 2017 non-fiction book Nomadland: Surviving America in the Twenty-First Century, by Jessica Bruder.

The drama follows Fern, a newly widowed woman in her sixties who loses her job after the 2008 financial crash, and is forced to leave her home in rural Nevada.

She begins her new life as a nomad, living in a van and travelling around to find work. As Fern embarks on her journey, she meets fellow nomads who teach her how to navigate this new way of living.

Who stars in Nomadland?

Frances McDormand (Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, Fargo) leads the film as the central character Fern.

Alongside McDormand is a number of real-life nomads playing, essentially, versions of themselves, including Gay DeForest, Patricia Grier, Linda May and Angela Reyes.

David Strathairn (Billions, Interrogation) and Peter Spears (Call Me By Your Name, Something’s Gotta Give) also star in the Oscar winning film.

Nomadland was directed and written by Chloé Zhao, who has directed and written a number of short films including Post, The Atlas Mountains and Daughters. She has also written and directed feature length films as well, such as Songs My Brothers Taught Me, The Rider and is currently working on Marvel’s The Eternals.

What awards did Nomadland win?

Nomadland was nominated for six Oscars, and managed to win three of them:

- Best Picture

- Best Actress (Frances McDormand)

- Best Director (Chloé Zhao)

With this win, McDormand now has three Best Actress Oscars to her name, following awards for her performances in Fargo and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri.

The film was also nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Cinematography and Best Film Editing, however The Father, Mank and Sound of Metal all, respectively, won those categories.

Zhao’s win as Best Director at the Oscars marks the second time a female director has won the award since Kathryn Bigelow received it for The Hurt Locker, 11 years prior, and the first time in history that a woman of colour has won.

In her Best Director acceptance speech, Zhao said: “Even though it might seem like the opposite is true, I have always found goodness in the people I met, everywhere I went in the world.

“So this is for anyone who had the faith, and the courage to hold on to the goodness in themselves, and to hold on to the goodness in each other, no matter how difficult it is to do that.

“And this is for you. You inspire me to keep going.”

How can I watch Nomadland in the UK?

It has been confirmed that Nomadland will premiere in the UK on Star on Disney+ on Friday 30 April, and will be available to subscribers at no additional charge.

Disney+ is available for £7.99 per month, or an annual subscription costs £79.90 per year.

Nomadland will also have a cinema release as well when cinemas open in the UK.

In England and Scotland, the earliest that cinemas will be allowed to open is 17 May, and in Northern Ireland and Wales, no date for reopening has been confirmed yet.