Last year’s Academy Award nominations sparked the much debated #OscarsSoWhite controversy but it appears the Academy took a step in the right direction this morning when six black actors were nominated today which is a record for the event.
This doesn’t entirely fix the issue since there is so much more diversity out there that should be recognized but it was nice to see some strong showings in that arena both in front of and behind the camera.
While no actors of color were nominated the last two years, this year saw every acting category recognizing a person of color. This ties the record in 2007 where seven minority actors were recognized- six were acknowledged this year while Dev Patel, who is British and of Indian descent was nominated for Lion.
In the best actor category, Denzel Washington landed his seventh nomination for Fences which extends his record as the most nominated black actor. His co-star, Viola Davis was acknowledged with a Best Supporting Actress nomination while Octavia Spencer was also singled out in that category for Hidden Figures. Also gaining a mention with her first ever nomination was Naomie Harris for Moonlight.
In the Lead Actress category, Ruth Negga was nominated for her role in Loving while Mahershala Ali landed a Supporting Actor nomination for his role in Moonlight. Dev Patel was also acknowledged in this category for Lion.
The good fortune was also spread behind the scenes. With Manchester by the Sea, Kimberly Steward is only the second black female to be nominated for producing. The first was Oprah Winfrey for Selma.
As writer-director of Moonlight, Barry Jenkins found himself the fourth black best director nominee, after John Singleton, Lee Daniels, and Steve McQueen. His writing nomination, shared with playwright Tarell Alvin McCraney, made them the seventh and eighth black men nominated for screenplay. And Jenkins is only the second black writer-director to find himself nominated for both films, after Singleton. Also notable in the writing category is the late August Wilson, the prominent black playwright whose adaptation of Fences made the cut.
The documentary feature category was made up almost entirely of people of color – Ava DuVernay (13th), Raoul Peck (I Am Not Your Negro), Ezra Edelman (O.J.: Made in America), and Roger Ross Williams (Life, Animated). Previously, there have only been three black directors nominated in the category, and DuVernay marks the first black woman.
Other notable nominations include Bradford Young for his cinematography of Arrival, only the second black nominee ever after Remi Adefarasin for Elizabeth. And with her editing nomination for Moonlight, Joi McMillon became the first black female nominee in the category and second black nominee after Hugh A. Robertson for Midnight Cowboy. In the same category is La La Land editor Tom Cross, who is half-Asian; two years ago, Cross won in the category for Whiplash. And Lin-Manuel Miranda, the American-born artist who is primarily of Puerto Rican descent, could find himself EGOT-ing this year with his best song nomination for Moana.
A step in the right direction indeed.
