Do you know who Mahershala Ali is? Well you should, and chances are you will soon. On Tuesday morning, his most recent film Moonlight, which has a gay storyline and is set right here in South Florida, received eight Oscar nominations. Ali, who is probably best known for playing Remy Danton in House of Cards and Boggs in The Hunger Games- Mockingjay Parts One and Two, is shooting to fame right now for his role of Juan, a drug dealer in the coming of age drama. He was nominated for Best Supporting Actor.
Moonlight was also nominated for Best Picture, Best Supporting Actress, Cinematography, Directing, Film Editing, Music- original score, and Writing- adapted screenplay. The film was filmed in Miami in 2015 and follows a young African American man through several phases of his life as he learns to come to terms with his sexuality. Besides the eight Oscar nominations, the film was nominated for six Golden Globe Awards, and won for Best Motion Picture-Drama.
Besides Moonlight, the other film to garner multiple nominations was La La Land staring Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling. La La Land was nominated for a record tying 14 nominations and is a heavy favorite to take home a slew of the tiny golden statues. Both Stone and Gosling are nominated for leading roles and the film is a candidate for Best Picture, Cinematography, Directing, and many more.
Many of Hollywood’s perineal powerhouses are also nominated this year like Meryl Streep for Best Actress in Florence Foster Jenkins, Natalie Portman for Best Actress in Jackie, Denzel Washington for Best Actor in Fences, Jeff Bridges for Best Actor in Hell or High Water, Viola Davis for Best Supporting Actress in Fences, Nichole Kidman for Best Supporting Actress in Lion, Octavia Spencer for Best Supporting Actress in Hidden Figures, and Michelle Williams for Best Supporting Actress in Manchester by the Sea.
To see the entire list of nominations visit Oscars.com
