Diversity Reigns Supreme at the 95th Annual Academy Award Nominations

As the dust settles on the 95th Annual Academy Award nominations, I had a chance to visit my friends at PIX11 News, Marysol Castro and Chris Cimino, to break it down. One thing is clear: the sci-fi epic, Everything Everywhere All at Once, is the film to beat. With a whopping 11 nominations, it has more than any other film this year. Top Gun received 7 nominations, but Tom Cruise was snubbed… again.

As a Latino film critic, journalist, and host of the Highly Relevant and Brown & Black podcasts, I can’t help but look at these nominations through the lens of diversity. The #OscarSoWhite movement in 2015 set the tone for how the Academy should choose films and act when it comes to diversity, and this year, I think we’ve made great progress. The Asian community set records by earning nominations in three of the major four acting categories: Best Actress, Best Supporting Actress, and Best Supporting Actor.

If I had to pick one category to watch, it would have to be Best Actress. It’s going to be a tight race between Cate Blanchett (Tár) and Michelle Yeoh (EEAO) will have a tight race, with Blanchett having the pedigree but Yeoh being beloved by audiences. It will be great to see which style of acting wins.

One nomination that surprised me was the Swedish-Turkish film, Triangle of Sadness. It won the Palme d’Or at Cannes, but many critics didn’t include it on their Top 10 lists and considered it a long shot. It won the Palme d’Or at Cannes but wasn’t on many critics’ Top 10 lists and was considered a long shot. But it’s a reminder that sometimes, the Academy likes to shake things up and recognize films that might not be the front runners.

Finally, kudos to Cuban actress Ana de Armas for becoming the fifth Latina to ever be nominated for Best Actress in the 95-year history of the Oscars, for her role as Marilyn Monroe. It’s a huge milestone for the Latino community, but she likely won’t win against heavyweights like Blanchett and Yeoh. But it’s still a great year for her to be recognized as a new star in Hollywood.

Let’s hope that in the next couple of years, we see even more Latinos in the nominees.

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