The nominees for the 89th Academy Awards have finally been revealed and Damien Chazelle’s “La La Land” continues to soar with a multitude of recognitions.
The award-winning film received a record-high 14 nominations, tying the record held by the 1950 film “All About Eve” and the 1997 movie “Titanic.”
Lead stars Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling both received acting nominations for their performance, as well as Best Director for Chazelle. The movie also vies for Best Screenplay, Best Picture, Best Original Score and Song, Best Cinematography, Best Film Editing, among others.
The film earlier also made a record during the 74th Golden Globe Awards where it was nominated for the seven major categories and swept those categories with wins.
It also bagged 11 nominations at the 70th British Academy Film Awards and won eight awards during the 22nd Critics’ Choice Awards including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Screenplay.
The film is about an aspiring actress Mia, played by Stone, and a jazz pianist Sebastian, played by Gosling, who fall in love but their relationship is threatened with the weight of their dreams and ambitions for themselves.
“Arrival” and “Moonlight” comes in second place with eight nominations each followed by “Hacksaw Ridge,” “Lion,” and “Manchester by the Sea,” eliciting six nods each.
The nominees were announced by directors Guillermo del Toro, Jason Reitman, Academy president Cheryl Boone, along with actresses Brie Larson, Marcia Gay Hayden, Glenn Close, Jennifer Hudson, and more.
For the first time in history, the nominees were revealed via global live stream at the Academy’s official website and through local broadcast program “Good Morning America.”
Other notable nominations include Casey Affleck’s first ever nomination in his 30 years in the industry. He is nominated for Best Actor for his performance in “Manchester by the Sea” along with Gosling, Andrew Garfield, Viggo Mortensen, and Denzel Washington.
Washington earns his 7th nomination, vying for Best Actor for his portrayal in “Fences.” If he wins, it will be his third Oscars win.
Meryl Streep continues her reign, bringing in her 20th nomination, the most held by any actor. The 67-year-old actress, who was recently honored during the Golden Globes, is nominated for her titular role in “Florence Foster Jenkins.”
Mel Gibson is also acknowledged for his work on “Hacksaw Ridge.” The 61-year-old actor competes against Chazelle, Denis Villeneuve, Kenneth Lonergan, and Barry Jenkins for Best Director.
Disney’s “Zootopia” and “Moana” are both nominated for Best Animated Feature Film. Moana’s theme song, “How Far I’ll Go” is also nominated for Best Original Song. The former earlier won the same award during the Golden Globes.
“Rouge One: A Star Wars Story” was also recognized under the Best Sound Mixing and Best Visual Effects categories.
“Passengers” also received two nods for Best Original Score and Best Production Design, where it competes with “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.”
#OscarsNotSoWhite
Meanwhile, many have noticed that this year’s nominees have become more diverse compared to the previous years as many actors of color and race were acknowledged.
It can be recalled that last year’s Oscars brought in a controversial divide as most of the actors nominated were white. People of color and of a different race, who delivered great acting and other performances were overlooked.
Last year’s Academy Awards was dubbed #OscarsSoWhite and resulted in poor viewership and ratings. The situation happened despite the Academy claiming that they have a very well diverse judgment when it comes to picking nominees.
The Academy has also been scrutinized for the lack of diversity among the nominees in major categories, with no actor of color being acknowledged.