For the 89th Academy Awards (which took place on Sunday, February 26), a fantastic array of nominees set the stage for twenty-first century cinematography, offering no shortage of politically impactful and creative content.
Who will win for each category this year? The Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards always give those seeking early answers good insights.
According to critics, Hidden Figures, the recipient of SAG’s award for ‘Outstanding performance by cast in a motion picture,’ was certainly not first in line for such salient recognition. Moonlight was seen as a likelier candidate for various SAG awards. Exploring NASA and civil rights, Hidden Figures unveiled the untold story of three African- American women with brilliant minds whose capabilities were often undermined because of the great deal of segregation and sexism that played a role in the 1960s. Lacking any other nomination but that for ‘Best Picture,’ Hidden Figures will most likely not be able to relive the unexpected success the team experienced at the SAGs. Instead, La La Land, is predicted to be the winner of ‘Best Picture.’
In fact, La La Land may be the winner of multiple oscars, being nominated for a total of fourteen awards. This puts the 2016 motion picture beside two of the most exceptional films of Oscar history: Titanic and All About Eve, record-holders for the most nominations received by a single film. It is no wonder this is the case. From its release date of December 9, 2016, until January, La La Land hit an estimated $77.1 million in box office sales, domestically. Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone continue the long line of acknowledgements for the film, both being nominated for ‘Best Actor & Actress in a Leading Role.’ Besides La La Land, Moonlight and Arrival were also quite heard of among the Oscar’s list of nominations.
Each film is extravagantly different. While Moonlight focused on the life of a boy surrounded by a largely narcotic and alcoholic environment, Arrival portrays science fiction in a eerie, exciting way. However, the list of nominees certainly does not stop here, with many old- and newcomers attending the Academy Awards this year.
Best recognized from his role in Glory, Denzel Washington, two-time winner from a total of six previous nominations, performs an outstanding leading role in Fences. Meryl Streep enjoys yet another nomination for ‘Actress in a Leading Role’ for the 2016 film Florence Foster Jenkins. Streep is one of the most nominated actresses, having won three oscars and receiving over 20 nominations in the past. Meanwhile, Isabelle Huppert, Ruth Negga, and Andrew Garfield celebrate their first Academy Award nomination. All three have been nominated for ‘Best Actor & Actress in a Leading Role.’ As for ‘Best Actor & Actress in a Supporting Role,’ Naomie Harris, Mahershala Ali, Lucas Hedges and Dev Patel are all first-time nominees for an Oscar. The list goes on, assuming the absolute extravagance and importance of the Academy Awards, however, there are simply too many nominees to describe each in detail. In case interest remains, all Academy Award nominees are as follows:
The Claw 