The Oscars nominations were recently announced and they were plenty of surprises, with the most notable being Andrea Riseborough who earned a nomination for her feature, To Leslie, while notable expectations like Viola Davis for The Woman King and Danielle Deadwyler from Till were snubed. To Leslie independent film is about a single mother, who struggles to provide for her son after she wins the lottery; that’s because Leslie spends all of the money on drugs and is living in poverty in a span of a few short years, forcing the single mother to make difficult choices to survive.
The nomination came out of seemingly nowhere as Riseborough was never in the conversation for an Oscar nomination due to not garnering a single nod for prestigious events like the Screen Actors Guild Awards or The Golden Globes. This eventually led to the Academy investigation if any rules might’ve been violated to secure the Oscar nomination. Now Till director, Chinonye Chukwu, has addressed the Oscar snub.
Chinonye Chukwu Speaks On The Misogyny Towards Black Women
“We live in a word and work in industries that are so aggressively committed to upholding whiteness and perpetuating an unabashed misogyny towards Black women,” Chukwu posted on Instagram. “And alas. I am forever in gratitude for the greatest lesson of my life – regardless of any challenges or obstacles, I will always have the power to cultivate my own joy, and it is this joy that will continue to be one of my greatest forms of resistance.”
The Till director wasn’t the only one to call out the Oscar snub as Whoopi Goldberg had a few choice words for the Academy on The View. The situation with Riseborough is very tricky, but at the end of the day, her nomination doesn’t take away the incredible performance that Deadwyler and Viola Davis delivered. There’s an Oscar snub each and every year, so the reactions to Till this year’s is no surprise.
Viola Davis’ Role in The Woman King Was Also Snubbed
The surprise nomination for Riseborough came through from the help of various celebrities. Unfortunately, that means Viola Davis (The Woman King) and Danielle Deadwyler (Till) were effectively shut out of the Oscars race. These two were the front runners for the Best Actress nomination, though Margot Robbie (Babylon) was also another name tossed around for consideration. Still, the first two names were the most likely in many eyes, and with Riseborough being the odd woman out, many find her out of left field nomination suspicious.
Naturally, The Academy was blasted for not including a Black talent in the Best Actress category. Snubs is nothing new for the Oscars or any award show in general. However, as previously stated, Riseborough’s sudden rise in the Oscar race has a few called the move “white privilege”. The backlash for the Oscars has been strong, with the most notable being Chinonye Chukwu’s remark over Deadwyler & Davis being shut out of the Best Actress category.
Despite this, there’s been plenty of first time nominations, with Ana de Armas becoming the first Cuban talent to be nominated for Best Actress. Jamie Lee Curtis also received a first time nomination for her performance in Everything Everywhere All At Once. Her fellow co-stars, Michelle Yeoh, Stephanie Hsu, and Ke Huy Quan were also rightfully nominated for their roles in the film as well. Even Angela Bassett became the first actor to be nominated for her performance in a Marvel film. Despite all of the controversy, the Oscar nominations are definitely interesting. It’s a nice mix of veterans and newcomers in each category. Who will win? We’ll surely find out on Sunday, March 12.