The nominations are in!
Will Smith’s King Richard movie has scored six Oscar nominations, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
The 94th annual Academy Award nominees have been announced, many of our favorites leading the charge. Will Smith’s King Richard biopic about Richard Williams, father of tennis phenoms Venus and Serena Williams, is nominated in six categories, including Best Original Screenplay and Best Picture. Smith is also nominated in the Best Actor category.
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Aunjanue Ellis scored a Best Supporting Actress nomination for her role in King Richard and Denzel Washington earned a nod for The Tragedy of Macbeth. Musician Questlove scored an Oscar nomination for Best Original Documentary for his directorial debut, Summer of Soul, a film about what’s considered the Black Woodstock, featuring archival footage of performers like Nina Simone, Sly & The Family Stone, Mahalia Jackson and David Ruffin. Questlove took to social media to share his excitement, writing, “Man I’m so happy about this. Thank you to every last soul that assisted in this journey from 1969 to tomorrow!!!”
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Beyoncé snagged her very first Oscar nomination for best original song for “Be Alive,” a ballad she wrote for the King Richard soundtrack. According to the NY Times, the song was co-written with songwriter Dixson and plays during the end credits which feature footage of the real Williams family. The song is inspirational, telling the story of the Williams family journey, focusing on Black pride, family and sisterhood. While this is the singer’s first Oscar nomination, she’s hardly new to awards, considered the female artist with the most Grammy wins ever and previously scoring a Golden Globe nomination for her role in Dreamgirls.
You can view the full list of nominations here. The 2022 Academy Awards ceremony is scheduled to air live, Sunday, March 27th, 8pm ET on ABC.
Congratulations to all of the nominees!
Photo Courtesy of King Richard