The 98th Academy Awards nominees were announced on January 22nd, with a series of record-breaking nominations. Notably, this year’s golden list featured Chloe Zhao, Ruth E. Carter, and Sinners, all of whom made Oscar history.
Hamnet, Director Chloe Zhao is the 2nd ever female filmmaker to be nominated a second time in the Best Director category. Zhao was nominated for and won Best Director at the 93rd Academy Awards for her work on 2020’s Nomadland. It was this win that originally made her the 2nd ever female winner in this category. She now joins Jane Campion, who won the award for The Piano and Power of the Dog. Just this Tuesday, Hamnet broke the BAFTA Award record for most nominations for a female-directed film.
Ruth E. Carter also made history as the most-nominated Black woman in Oscar history with her Costume Design nomination for Sinners. Carter has previously been nominated in this category for her work on Malcolm X, Amistad, Black Panther, and Wakanda Forever. In 2019, she became the first Black person to win the Academy Award for Costume Design for her work on Black Panther. But she broke that record with the film’s sequel, Wakanda Forever, making her the only Black person to win the award twice.
Sinners took that nomination and added 15 more, making it the most nominated film in the Academy Awards’ 98-year history. The film and its crew were nominated for Best Picture, Actor, Supporting Actress, Supporting Actor, Casting, Cinematography, Costume Design, Makeup and Hairstyling, Original Score, Original Song, Sound, Visual Effects, Directing, Film Editing, Original Screenplay, and Production Design. Sinners also made history at the BAFTA Awards as the most-nominated film directed by a Black person.
This year’s Oscar nominations aren’t just impressive; they signal a historic shift in who gets recognized, and how often. Black people and women have historically been ignored by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, to their detriment and to audiences. The 98th Awards and the last decade’s worth of ceremonies show a shift in how the Academy approaches its industry members. This is also shown in the addition of a Casting category, and in the Academy’s announcement that judges must screen every picture.
The 98th Academy Awards take place on Sunday, March 15th. Follow along with us on social media for updates on where to watch, how to join our Oscars bingo game, and all our celebratory content.
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