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Emmett Till’s family has some choice words for the Academy. After Tuesday’s Oscar nominations, which shut out not only Till but also The Woman King, starring Viola Davis, both the family and Till director Chinonye Chukwu shared their pointed thoughts about racism and misogyny in Hollywood.
Till recounts the true story of Emmett Till’s mother, who relentlessly sought justice after her 14-year-old son was lynched for allegedly offending a white woman. Like The Woman King and other Black-led stories, including Jordan Peele’s Nope, Till did not receive a single Oscar nomination.
This year’s batch of nominees included the usual snubs and surprises, but perhaps no category stirred more controversy than Best Actress. Nominees included some expected choices, like Cate Blanchett for Tár, but they also omitted Viola Davis (who was among the predicted nominees for her performance in The Woman King) as well as Till’s Danielle Deadwyler, who delivered a gut-wrenching performance as Mamie Till Mobley. Included among the nominees, meanwhile, were two serious surprises—Ana de Armas for the widely panned Blonde and Andrea Riseborough for the micro-budget indie To Leslie.