The 2018 Oscar nominations were announced this morning and we have to say: we’re quite pleased. It looks like the Academy has paid attention to online campaigns like #OscarsSoWhite and #BrownRibbonCampaign, which highlighted the ceremony’s historic lack of diversity. This year’s Best Picture category is arguably the most inclusive it has ever been. It includes films like Call Me By Your Name (which depicts a passionate queer relationship), Get Out (a racial satire), and Lady Bird (a female-centric coming-of-age story). Also, the Best Director category is not just a list of straight white men this year. (Maybe the committee took notice of Natalie Portman’s serious Golden Globes shade.) Jordan Peele (Get Out) and Greta Gerwig (Lady Bird) both received well-earned nominations.
“Right now I’m just thinking about everyone who bought a ticket and told someone else to,” Jordan Peele tweeted in response to Get Out’s five nominations. “You did this. Thank you.” He is the third person ever to receive nominations for best picture, director, and writing for a debut feature.
It’s fair to call Get Out the dark horse film of the year. Fans were worried the film would get largely overlooked the Academy. This fear increased after the horror satire only received a nomination for Best Comedy at the Golden Globes (which it lost to Lady Bird). Many people felt the confusing nomination erased the film’s serious and impactful commentary on race in America. So the fact that Get Out looks well-poised to score big at the Oscars this year is a serious win for Black Hollywood. The increasing critical praise films like Moonlight and Get Out — which provide nuanced explorations of blackness — have received suggests that Hollywood might finally be ready to appreciate and support fresh black narratives. Because our experience goes beyond slave films.
Other standout nominations include Margot Robbie (I, Tonya) and Saoirse Ronan (Lady Bird) for Actress in a Leading Role. Daniel Kaluuya (Get Out) and Cardi B-rapping Timothée Chalamet (Call Me By Your Name) got nominated for Actor in a Leading Role. Guess that peach scene paid off, Timmy. And Rachel Morrison (Mudbound) made history by becoming the first female ever to receive a nomination for Best Cinematography.
Of course, it’s important the films and creatives that win these awards are just as diverse as the nominations. The 90th Academy Awards will take place on March 4th. You can check out the full list of nominations here.