Oscar nominations were announced this AM, and this year, Hispanics are nominated in some pretty major categories. From Cinema Tropical:
Nominees for the 86th edition of the Oscars include Mexican filmmaker Alfonso Cuarón for Best Director for his film Gravity, as well as Mexican DP Emmanuel Lubezki for Best Cinematography for his work in the same film. Gravity leads this year’s Oscars nominations, tied with American Hustle with 10, including nominations for Best Film, Best Actress, Best Editing, and Best Special Effects, among other categories.
Cuarón becomes the fourth Latin American nominated as Best Director after Argentine Hector Babenco for Kiss of the Spider Woman in 1985, Brazilian Fernando Meirelles for City of God in 2003, and Mexican Alejandro González Iñárritu for Babel in 2006. Cuarón himself had been previously nominated for the Oscars (with his brother Carlos) in 2002 for Best Original Screenplay for his film Y Tu Mamá También.
This is Lubezki’s sixth Academy Awards nomination for Best Cinematography since 1996, two of them for his work in other films directed by Cuarón: A Little Princess in 1996 and Children of Men in 2006.
Other Oscar nominations include:
Best Actress — Supporting Role
Lupita Nyong’o, 12 Years a Slave
Fun fact: Lupita was actually born in Mexico to Kenyan parents. While she moved to Kenya when she was 1, she returned to Mexico at 16 to spend some time there learning Spanish (upping her language count to 3 – go ‘head gurl). As a result, she jokingly refers to herself as “Mexikenyan,” and now joins Louis CK and Mitt Romney as a member of the People We Didn’t Know Were Sorta Mexican club.
Best Short FilmAquel No Era Yo (That Wasn’t Me), Esteban Crespo
(Spain) [insert-video youtube=YebmyGSgQn0]