The 2017 Oscar nominations are out and people can’t stop talking about the likes of Hidden Figures, Fences and Moonlight making their mark in the major categories. While their inclusion doesn’t negate the need for the #OscarsSoWhite movement, it’s still a step in the right direction.
Loving was also nominated but only saw recognition in one category: Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role. The film centers on the story of Richard and Mildred Loving, an interracial couple who challenged Virginia’s anti-miscegenation laws and took their battle all the way to the US Supreme Court. Directed by Jeff Nichols (Mud, Midnight Special), it starred Ruth Negga and Joel Edgerton. Negga spoke up about her excitement for the nomination.
“I am truly humbled by the news this morning, and I thank the Academy for this recognition, which I share with my co-collaborators Jeff Nichols and Joel Edgerton,” she told The Mary Sue in a statement.
“It has been such an honor to have been given the opportunity to tell the incredible story of Richard and Mildred Loving, who serve as an inspiration that ordinary people can do extraordinary things. The Lovings fought quietly yet tirelessly, and changed the course of American legal history. Today, to be among such extraordinary women—my fellow nominees, my peers with films this year, and the legendary performers whose work of years past has long inspired me…this means a great deal to me.”
The Academy Awards ceremony airs on February 26.
(image via screencap)
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