VIOLA DAVIS MAKES HISTORY WITH THE OSCARS

Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling in Lala Land. PICTURE: LIONSGATE

Neo-musical film La La Land topped the Oscar Awards nominations with a record of 14 nominations on Tuesday, a tie with Titanic and All About Eve for the most in Academy Award history. 

Belieiving #OScarSoWhite is over, critics are calling the nominations of six black actors - a record — as they included films like Moonlight, Fences and Hidden Figures in the best picture race.

Scenes from film Hidden Figures. PICTURE: 20th Fox Film Corporation

According to Entertainment Weekly, 51-year-old actress Davis is the first black woman to earn three Academy Award nominations as she received a Best Supporting Actress nod for her role in Fences, and in the process became the most-nominated black actress in Oscar history. And “Hidden Figures” in the best picture race.

She has yet to bring home the coveted trophy, but is considered a frontrunner after winning a Golden Globe for the role earlier this month.

“Thank you to the Academy for recognizing this extraordinary, important film and my work in it. Thank you, Denzel, for being at the helm!” she said of her nomination, per the Los Angeles Times.

Denzel Washington and Viola Davis in Fences. PICTURE: Paramount Pictures

The academy used former Oscar winners and nominees Jennifer Hudson, Brie Larson, Emmanuel Lubezki, Jason Reitman and Ken Watanabe have joined Academy President Cheryl Boone Isaacs to announce the names of this year’s contenders.

The ceremony will be hosted by Jimmy Kimmel and will take place on February 26 at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles.

BEST PICTURE

Arrival
Fences
Hacksaw Ridge
Hell or High Water
Hidden Figures
La La Land
Lion
Manchester by the Sea
Moonlight

BEST DIRECTOR

Denis Villeneuve, Arrival
Mel Gibson, Hacksaw Ridge
Damien Chazelle, La La Land
Kenneth Lonergan, Manchester by the Sea
Barry Jenkins, Moonlight

BEST ACTOR

Casey Affleck, Manchester by the Sea
Denzel Washington, Fences
Ryan Gosling, La La Land
Andrew Garfield, Hacksaw Ridge
Viggo Mortensen, Captain Fantastic

BEST ACTRESS

Isabelle Huppert, Elle
Ruth Negga, Loving
Natalie Portman, Jackie
Emma Stone, La La Land
Meryl Streep, Florence Foster Jenkins

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Mahershala Ali, Moonlight
Jeff Bridges, Hell or High Water
Dev Patel, Lion
Lucas Hedges, Manchester by the Sea
Michael Shannon, Nocturnal Animals

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Viola Davis, Fences
Naomie Harris, Moonlight
Nicole Kidman, Lion
Octavia Spencer, Hidden Figures
Michelle Williams, Manchester by the Sea

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

Hell or High Water
La La Land
The Lobster
Manchester by the Sea
20th Century Women

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

Arrival
Fences
Hidden Figures
Lion
Moonlight

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

Arrival
La La Land
Lion
Moonlight
Silence

BEST FILM EDITING

Arrival
Hacksaw Ridge
Hell or High Water
La La Land
Moonlight

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS

Deepwater Horizon
Doctor Strange
The Jungle Book
Kubo and the Two Strings
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN

Arrival
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
Hail, Caesar!
La La Land
Passengers

BEST COSTUME DESIGN

Allied
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
Florence Foster Jenkins
Jackie
La La Land

BEST MAKEUP & HAIRSTYLING

A Man Called Ove
Star Trek Beyond
Suicide Squad

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE

Jackie
La La Land
Lion
Moonlight
Passengers

BEST ORIGINAL SONG

Audition (The Fools Who Dream), La La Land
Can’t Stop the Feeling, Trolls
City of Stars, La La Land
The Empty Chair, Jim: The James Foley Story
How Far I’ll Go, Moana

BEST SOUND EDITING

Arrival
Deepwater Horizon
Hacksaw Ridge
La La Land
Sully

BEST SOUND MIXING

Arrival
Hacksaw Ridge
La La Land
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE

Kubo and the Two Strings
Moana
My Life as a Zucchini
The Red Turtle
Zootopia

BEST DOCUMENTARY

Fire at Sea
I Am Not Your Negro
Life, Animated
O.J.: Made in America
13th

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM

Land of Mine
A Man Called Ove
The Salesman
Tanna
Toni Erdmann

BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT SUBJECT

Extremis
4.1 Miles
Joe’s Violin
Watani: My Homeland
The White Helmets

BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT

Ennemis Entreniers
La Femme et le TGV
Silent Nights
Sing
Timecode

BEST ANIMATED SHORT

Blind Vaysha
Borrowed Time
Pear Cider and Cigarettes
Pearl
Piper