The Academy Awards have announced this year’s roster of nominees. While there are always surprises and snubs, this year’s picks demonstrated that 2024 was an incredible year for movies. In the case of Latino performers and filmmakers, there were a few exciting surprises.
America Ferrera was nominated for best supporting actress for her performance in “Barbie.” Despite her performance earning rave reviews at the time of the film’s release, she received very little attention this award season, with the Critics’ Choice Awards and the Screen Actors Guild Awards being the only institutions to nominate her performance. The Academy Award nod was a big surprise and cemented the strenght of Ferrera’s “Barbie” monologue, which ultimately eclipsed some of the performances featured in films released later on in the year.
Another win for Latinos was Colman Domingo’s Oscar nomination. He became the first Afro-Latino to be nominated for best actor. Domingo starred in “Rustin,” and became, alongside Jodie Foster, the first two openly LGBTQ actors to be nominated for playing LGBTQ roles.
More nominations for Latinos and Spanish speakers
Other significant nominations for Latinos include David Hinojosa, one of the producers of “Past Lives,” which was nominated for best film. He is Puerto Rican and Mexican. Phil Lord, who is Cuban-American, was nominated as producer for “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse,” marking his third Academy Award nomination. “Flamin Hot,” directed by Eva Longoria, earned a nomination for best original song for “The Fire Inside,” performed by Becky G.
Rodrigo Prieto, the Mexican cinemtographer of “Killers of the Flower Moon,” was nominated for his work, earning his fourth Academy Award nomination. He was previously nominated for “Brokeback Mountain,” and for his two Martin Scorsese collaborations: “The Irishman,” and “Silence.”
Chile got some recognition this year at the Academy Awards, earning nominations for “The Eternal Memory,” directed by Maite Alberdi, as best feature documentary. “El Conde,” directed by Pablo Larrain, was also nominated for best cinematography.
Lastly, when it comes to Spanish-speakers, “Society of the Snow” was nominated for best international film, and for best make up and hairstyling. The film was Spain’s Oscar submission and is directed by Spanish filmmaker J.A. Bayona. It features a mostly Latin cast led by Uruguayan Enzo Vogrincic. Closing it all out is “Robot Dreams,” a Spanish-French film, which was nominated for best animated feature.