Upcoming Academy Awards Shows Impact of Films About Social Justice

This year, the Academy Awards on April 25th will be unlike any other, and the nomination slate boasts several unprecedented firsts that indicate a hopeful change in the entertainment industry. Riz Ahmed and Steven Yuen are both nominated for Best Actor, for The Sound of Metal and Minari respectively, which is the first time that two Asian American actors have been nominated in the same year. Similarly, this is the first time two women have been nominated for Best Director: Emerald Fennell for Promising Young Woman, and Chloe Zhao for Nomadland.

But these firsts are not the only reason MISC is excited about the Academy’s nominations. Nearly all of the films nominated for best picture deal with urgent social issues. Two of the films boldly tell stories of social justice and civil disobedience in America in the late 1960’s: The Trial Of The Chicago 7 and Judas And The Black Messiah. These films do not shy away from the political unrest of the late 1960’s, yet the themes and images feel like they could be torn from headlines of the past year. 

And the Nominees are —

From Minari directed by Lee Isaac Chung

Minari, directed by Lee Isaac Chung, centers on the story of a Korean American family adjusting to life in rural Arkansas. It is an intimate and gripping window into one version of the immigrant experience. The Sound of Metal, directed by Darius Marder, is about a recovering heroin addict who experiences rapid hearing loss. Ahmed’s passionate performance as a punk drummer who has to completely reconsider his dreams as he loses his hearing makes this story believable and heartbreaking.

Nomadland, directed by Chloe Zhao, delves into the challenges faced by individuals who, for a variety of reasons, chose to live as modern nomads. Zhao’s film, starring Frances McDormand as a woman choosing to live in her van after the death of her husband and the loss of her job, celebrates the community of nomads while looking unflinchingly at the displaced nature of corporate work.

From Nomadland directed by Chloé Zhao

The Father, by Florian Zeller, presents a devastatingly empathetic portrayal of dementia. Adapted from Zeller’s play of the same name, The Father immerses viewers in the experience families face when memory loss tears them apart.

The one exception on the Best Picture list to these stories about social issues is Mank, directed by David Fincher, which is nominated for 10 awards. Mank tells the story of screenwriter Herman J. Mankiewicz and his development of the screenplay for Citizen Kane. 

A positive Step Forward

MISC Executive Director Michael Taylor says the Best Picture lineup is proof that stories that have social impact resonate. “One of our primary goals for MISC has always been the support of filmmakers who choose to integrate issues of social change into their stories,” says Taylor. “It is especially heartening when looking at this year’s Academy Award nominated films that seven of the eight films nominated for best picture have social issues at their core.”