Historical Firsts for Women and People of Color: 2018 Oscar Noms
After years of historical prejudice and erasure, this year’s Oscar nominations seem to have finally stopped being so white and started recognizing the talent and creativity of so many women and people of color across nomination categories.
It’s 2018, and Sterling K. Brown already proved that there were a lot of awards that needed to reevaluate their inclusion of marginalized people, and the 90th Academy Awards are finally, albeit slowly, dragging their ass.
There are a lot of monumental nominations in this year’s categories, many featuring women and people of color. Jordan Peele, the genius behind “Get Out,” is the first Black person to earn producer, director and writer nominations for a single film. More than half of the movies nominated for Best Picture featured women at the center of the story, and women helped write four of the ten screenplays nominated. Greta Gerwig became the fifth woman nominated for best director for “Lady Bird.” And “Mudbound” is making huge waves for Oscar nominations! Rachel Morrison became the first woman nominated for best cinematography; Mary J Blige became the first person to earn nominations for an acting performance and an original song in a single year for the same film; and Dee Rees became the first black woman nominated for best adapted screenplay.
Clearly we’re excited, and here’s a list of who we’re rooting for at the Academy Awards on March 4.
Best Director
- Jordan Peele for “Get Out”
Actor in a Leading Role
- Daniel Kaluya for “Get Out”
- Denzel Washington for “Roman J. Israel, Esq.”
Music (Original Song)
- “Mighty River,” music and lyric by Mary J. Blige, Raphael Saadiq and Taura Stinson for “Mudbound”
Best Supporting Actress
- Mary J. Blige for “Mudbound”
- Octavia Spencer for “The Shape of Water”
Best Original Screenplay
- Jordan Peele for “Get Out”
Best Adapted Screenplay
- Dee Rees (with Virgil Williams) for “Mudbound”
Best Documentary Feature
- Yance Ford for “Strong Island”
