This year’s Oscar ceremony will undoubtedly be one of the most diverse ever, with several industry leaders cementing their place in the history books.
After years of consistently shutting out Black and other actors of color, the Academy leaned into honoring the stories of BIPOC communities.
In 2015 and 2016, the Oscars only nominated white actors in the acting categories, inspiring the social media hashtag #OscarsSoWhite.
Makers in Black hollywood received several nominations for their roles in front of and behind the camera, with some of the year’s most stirring performances in movies like “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom,” and “Judas and the Black Messiah.”
Viola Davis was one of the first nominees to make history this year as the most-nominated Black actress in the awards show history.
Davis’ co-star Chadwick Boseman also received a posthumous Best Actor nomination for his role in the film. “Ma Rainey” also scored a nod for Best Production Design and Best Makeup and Styling.
Andra Day, riding high off of her Golden Globes nomination is up for Best Actress for her turn as Billie Holiday in “The United States vs. Billie Holiday.”
The film “Judas and the Black Messiah” became the first Best Picture nominated film to have an all-Black team of producers, Shaka King, Ryan Coogler and Charles D. King. The film scored a total of six nominations, including Best Original Screenplay, Best Cinematography and Best Song, “I Will Fight For You,” performed by H.E.R.
The film’s stars, Daniel Kaluuya and LaKeith Stanfield were both nominated in the Best Supporting Actor Category.
Pixar’s “Soul” scored a nomination for Best Animated Feature and Best Sound.
Actor Leslie Odom Jr. doubled up with a nomination for his role in “One Night in Miami,” Best Supporting Actor and Best Original Song, “Speak Now.”
Nominees this year also included the first Asian-American actor to be nominated in the Best Actor category, Steven Yeun for “Minari,” as well as the first Muslim actor to receive a Best Actor nomination, Riz Ahmed for “Sound of Metal.” In the Best Director category, two women were nominated for the first time in Oscars history, Emerald Fennell for “Promising Young Woman” and Chloe Zhao for “Nomadland.”
As expected, there were of course upsets and social media weighed on Black actors who rarely get the credit they deserve after churning out incredible performances in 2020. Actors Delroy Lindo and Regina King were mentioned for their roles in “Da 5 Bloods,” and King’s big screen directorial debut for “One Night in Miami.”
Nominees were announced by couple Priyanka Chopra and Nick Jonas. The ceremony is scheduled to take place at the Dolby Theatre on April 25 in Los Angeles.
Scroll for other Black history makers who are vying for the coveted gold statue at this year’s ceremony.
