
“Could white actors really take home all 20 Oscar nominee slots?” asked
Kyle Buchanan at Vulture in September. On Thursday morning, the Academy
of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences delivered its answer: Yes.
Mr. Buchanan had identified Ava DuVernay’s “Selma” as a film with the potential to yield some nominees of color:
“On paper, this is a
serious Oscar contender: It’s a movie about Martin Luther King Jr.
(played by David Oyelowo), directed by a talented up-and-comer (Ava
DuVernay, who helmed the acclaimed indie ‘Middle of Nowhere’), shot by a
tremendous cinematographer (Bradford Young), and blessed with a
sterling team of producers that includes Brad Pitt and Dede Gardner (who
just took home Oscars for producing ‘12 Years a Slave’) as well as
Oprah Winfrey, who also plays a supporting role in the film. That’s a
whole lot of heft.”
“Selma” was nominated
for best picture and best original song, but neither Mr. Oyelowo nor Ms.
DuVernay got nominations on their own.