The 2016 Oscar nominations caused a lot of controversy when everyone couldn’t help but notice that there was a lack of non-white nominees. It got so bad, big names in Hollywood felt compelled to boycott the event entirely. It looks like the powers that be paid attention though, cos this year is as diverse as can be.
Fences
Oscar voters blessed the neo-musical “La La Land” with 14 nominations on Tuesday (tying with “Titanic” and “All About Eve” for the most in Academy Award history) but the academy also moved past two #OscarsSoWhite years by honoring a record high of six black actors and including diverse films like “Moonlight,” “Fences” and “Hidden Figures” in the best picture race.
Hidden Figures
In a sharp contrast to the previous two years voters chose the largest number of black candidates ever. Mahershala Ali and Naomie Harris each received a nod for their supporting work in “Moonlight,” a poetic drama about a young black man in Miami. Viola Davis (“Fences”) and Octavia Spencer (“Hidden Figures”) were also nominated for supporting actress. Joining one of our favs, Ruth Negga in the lead categories was Mr. Washington of “Fences,” an adaptation of August Wilson’s classic play about black life in 1950s Pittsburgh.
Loving
Another minority actor, Dev Patel, was nominated for his supporting role in “Lion,” which received six nominations in total, tying “Manchester by the Sea” and “Hacksaw Ridge.” And four of the five honored documentaries came from black filmmakers, including “13th,” Ava DuVernay’s searing look at race and mass incarceration in America, and “I Am Not Your Negro,” directed by Raoul Peck, a portrait of the writer James Baldwin and the civil-rights era. (The others in that race are “Fire at Sea,” “Life, Animated” and the seven-hour “O. J.: Made in America,” which paves the way for TV documentaries given limited theatrical release to be nominees.)
Like I keep saying guys- it’s a great time to be alive!
Take a look at the full list of nominees here:
Best picture
Arrival
Fences
Hacksaw Ridge
Hell or High Water
Hidden Figures
La La Land
Lion
Manchester By the Sea
Moonlight
Best cinematography
Arrival
La La Land
Lion
Moonlight
Silence
La La Land
Best supporting actor
Mahershala Ali (Moonlight)
Jeff Bridges (Hell or High Water)
Lucas Hedges (Manchester By the Sea)
Dev Patel (Lion)
Michael Shannon (Nocturnal Animals)
Best documentary
Fire at Sea
I Am Not Your Negro
Life, Animated
OJ: Made in America
13th
Best foreign language film
Land of Mine
A Man Called Ove
The Salesman
Tanna
Toni Erdmann
Manchester by the Sea
Best actor
Casey Affleck (Manchester By the Sea)
Andrew Garfield (Hacksaw Ridge)
Ryan Gosling (La La Land)
Viggo Mortensen (Captain Fantastic)
Denzel Washington (Fences)
Best costume design
Allied
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
Florence Foster Jenkins
Jackie
La La Land
Best score
Jackie
La La Land
Lion
Moonlight
Passengers
Moonlight
Best song
Audition (La La Land)
Can’t Stop the Feeling! (Trolls)
City of Stars (La La Land)
The Empty Chair (Jim: The James Foley Story)
How Far I’ll Go (Moana)
Best sound editing
Arrival
Deepwater Horizon
Hacksaw Ridge
La La Land
Sully
Best sound mixing
Arrival
Hacksaw Ridge
La La Land
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
13 Hours
Best documentary short
4.1 Miles
Extremis
Joe’s Violin
Watani: My Homeland
The White Helmets
Best production design
Arrival
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
Hail, Caesar!
La La Land
Passengers
Best original screenplay
Hell or High Water
La La Land
The Lobster
Manchester By the Sea
20th Century Women
Best adapted screenplay
Arrival
Fences
Hidden Figures
Lion
Moonlight
Moana
Best animated feature
Kubo and the Two Strings
Moana
My Life As a Zucchini
The Red Turtle
Zootopia
Best animated short
Blind Vaysha
Borrowed Time
Pear Cider and Cigarettes
Pearl
Piper
Best supporting actress
Viola Davis (Fences)
Naomie Harris (Moonlight)
Nicole Kidman (Lion)
Octavia Spencer (Hidden Figures)
Michelle Williams (Manchester By the Sea)
Best film editing
Arrival
Hacksaw Ridge
Hell or High Water
La La Land
Moonlight
Best live-action short
Ennemis Interieurs
La Femme et le TGV
Silent Nights
Sing
Timecode
Best actress
Isabelle Huppert (Elle)
Ruth Negga (Loving)
Emma Stone (La La Land)
Natalie Portman (Jackie)
Meryl Streep (Florence Foster Jenkins)
Best director
Denis Villeneuve (Arrival)
Mel Gibson (Hacksaw Ridge)
Damien Chazelle (La La Land)
Kenneth Lonergan (Manchester By the Sea)
Barry Jenkins (Moonlight)
Best visual effects
Deepwater Horizon
Doctor Strange
The Jungle Book
Kubo and the Two Strings
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
Best makeup and hairstyling
A Man Called Ove
Star Trek Beyond
Suicide Squad