Both Denzel Washington and Will Smith were among the actors announced in the category of Best Actors for this year’s Academy Awards. The nominees were announced live earlier this morning.
Denzel Washington received a nomination for his role as General Macbeth in The Tragedy of Macbeth. Will Smith got the nod for playing the father of tennis stars Venus and Serena Williams in King Richard.
Smith also received a nod as the co-producer of King Richard, which was among 10 movies nominated for Movie of the Year.
There were no Black females nominated for Leading Actress, but there were two nominees for Best Supporting Actress. Aunjanue Ellis was nominated for her role as the mother of tennis superstars Venus and Serena Williams in the King Richard biopic. Ariana DuBose, who is of mixed heritage but claims some Black linage, was also given a nod for her role as Puerto Rican immigrant Anita in Steven Spielberg’s remake of West Side Story.
A few other nods worth mentioning are:
King Richard received a total of six nominations. In addition to the previously mentioned high profile nominations, the movie also received nods for editing, original screenplay and original song for “Be Alive.”
Coming 2 America 2 was nominated for Best Makeup and Hairstyling.
Summer Of Soul (…Or, When The Revolution Could Not Be Televised), directed by Quest Love was nominated for best Documentary. The highly acclaimed film is about the legendary 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival which celebrated African American music and culture, and promoted Black pride and unity.
Also a nod out to Shaq O’Neal producer of The Queen of Basketball, which received a nod for Short Subject Documentary. If you don’t know the story of Lusia “Lucy” Harris Stewart, you should, and that’s what got Shaq behind the movie. Stewart is a pioneer in women’s basketball, she led a rural Mississippi college to three national titles, scored the first basket in women’s Olympic history in 1976, and was the first and only woman to be drafted into the NBA.