Last year the Academy Awards spawned #OscarsSoWhite but yesterday’s nominations spread a wave of relief throughout the filmmaking community.
This year proves to be much more diversified both in front and behind the camera. While no actors of color were nominated for the past two years, this year each category nominated at least one person of color. A record!
Denzel Washington landed his seventh Oscar nomination for Best Actor in Fences. His co-star, Viola Davis, has also been nominated for best supporting actress, which makes her the first black actress to earn three nominations, previously nominated for The Help and Doubt.
The Best Actresses categories are the most diversified with nominations for Octavia Spencer in Hidden Figures and Naomie Harris in Moonlight for best supporting actresses and Ruth Negga for Best Actress in Loving.
It is behind the camera that most exciting nominations were obtained. Bradford Young becomes the first African-American cinematographer to be nominated for an Oscar for his work on Arrival.
Young is also knows for his work on the 2016 very moving documentary, I Called Him Morgan, on jazz musician, Lee Morgan, as well as for Selma and Dee Rees’ Pariah. Young will also work on the untitled Han Solo Star Wars movie.
The Best Documentary category include the critically acclaimed Ava DuVernay’s 13Th and Raoul Peck’s I Am Not Your Negro.
But the most welcomed news are the well-deserved eight nominations for Moonlight that becomes the second most nominated film behind La La Land, which received fourteen nominations. Barry Jenkins is the fourth black filmmaker to be nominated in the best director category.
It is, however, Joi McMillon who is making history by becoming the first black women ever nominated for Best Editing. McMillon attended Florida State University with much of the team behind the film. Moonlight is her first full-length feature credit as an editor but McMillon has been in the business for while, stuck as an assistant editor.
When asked why she thinks there isn’t enough diversity in editors, she answers: “The reason this hasn’t happened before is that a lot of times people don’t know what an editor does […] There’s a lack of exposure to this job for kids who don’t come from a well-to-do background”.
This year’s nomination is also a big win for indie filmmaking. Apart from Moonlight, The Lobster landed a nomination for best original screenplay while Viggo Mortensen was nominated for Best Actor for his role in Captain Fantastic.
Women are well represented in the Production Design category with Sandy Reynolds-Wasco for La La Land and Nancy Haigh for Hail Caesar.
It may not be complete equality just yet but a step nonetheless! We can only hope these nominations will turn into wins! Lion, Hacksaw Ridge and Manchester by the Sea collected six nominations. See a list of full nominees by clicking on the link, here.
#Peace.Love.AcademyAwards
