The 91st Academy Awards presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), also known as the Oscars honoured the best films of 2018 on Sunday, February 24, 2019, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, and of course our women of colour did great, carting home awards and making history while at it.
See below list of some awardees.
Regina King Supporting Actress- If Beale Street Could Talk.
Regina King was awarded the best supporting actress statue on Sunday for her role in Barry Jenkins’ “If Beale Street Could Talk. In the movie, she plays Sharon Rivers, a matriarch whose spirit is as strong as her love for her family. Regina’s was a major highlight of the event. She called herself someone who is an “example of what it looks like when love and support is poured into someone.”
Regina is one of three black actresses who have on their mantels both an Oscar and a Primetime Emmy Award, asides Viola Davis and Halle Berry.
Ruth E. Carter – Costume Design, Black Panther.
Carter earned the award for her work on the 2018 blockbuster “Black Panther.” In her acceptance speech, she stated that “Marvel may have created the first black superhero, but through costume design, we turned him into an African king.” Prior to winning an Oscar, Carter has earned three nominations for an Academy Award for Best Costume Design for her work on Spike Lee’s biographical film Malcolm X (1992), Steven Spielberg’s historical drama film Amistad (1997), and her most recent work on Ryan Coogler’s superhero film Black Panther (2018) making her the first black woman to win an Academy Award in the same category.
Hannah Beachler (and Jay Hart) – Production Design, Black Panther
Beachler alongside Jay Hart built the Wakanda world by infusing a cultural phenomenon that made it incredible. Beachler is is the first black woman to be nominated and to win an Academy Award for Best Production Design in the same year. Prior to Black Panther, she worked on the 2015 Rocky film Creed, the Miles Davis biopic Miles Ahead, and most recently has become known for the film Moonlight,[and Beyoncé’s 2016 TV special and visual album Lemonade
Rayka Zehtabchi and Melissa Berton – Documentary Short Subject – Period. End of Sentence.
If you’ve ever thought a film on “menstruation” could never win an Oscar then get off this boat because Period End of Sentence by Rakya Zetabchi and Melissa Berton bagged an Oscar on Sunday for best documentary short subject. The movie focuses on a small rural village in India where women and girls faced the stigma of menstruation and limited access to pads but a new machine allowed the women to manufacture their own pads and fight for menstrual equality. Hence, the name of the movie- “A period should end a sentence — not a girl’s education!”
Image credit: Huffpost Women
