Top African American Oscar Winners of 2018

The 2018 Oscars was held on March 4, 2018 in Hollywood. This was an especially monumental event as it was the 90^th Anniversary of the Academy Awards. The Oscars is perhaps the biggest award show for the film industry. All of its winners gain significant amounts of credibility to help propel their careers to the next level or to solidify them as the top performers in their field. The Oscars this year was groundbreaking for a lot of African Americans, even historical. They were some of the biggest winners at the award show and caused for the biggest moments for the Oscars 2018.

The highlight of the 2018 Oscars in the African American community is definitely ‘Get Out’ directed by Jordan Peele. Get Out is the winner of Best Original Screenplay. This award represents the first time that an African American has won this category. Even more so amazing is that this was Jordan Peele’s first major film which was highly acclaimed ever since it’s release.

Get Out is a unique film about an interracial couple, an African American male and a White female. They go for a weekend to her house which is in a thriller community that specifically targets African American’s for taking control of their bodies for personal use.

The Original Screenplay award is one of the top awards at the Oscars. It reflects complete creativity for developing a film storyline that has never been seen before. There is a lot of symbolism in the film which was cleverly incorporated by Jordan Peele, who began his career as a standup comedian. He will now be incorporated into the African American Museum in Washington, DC for winning this award.

A legendary name in the sporting industry can now add Oscar winner to his already impressive resume. Kobe Bryant won an Oscar for his film ‘Dear Basketball’ in the category of Best Animated Short. This film was produced in collaboration with Glen Keane. It beat out four other popular titles in this category.

Dear Basketball is about the basketball career of Kobe Bryant. His basketball career spanned a period of 20 years filled with all of the top accolades of the sport. He retired recently in 2016. After retiring, Bryant penned a poem about his drive and experiences throughout his career which was adapted into the script for this film. The film has a unique picture, showing hand drawn animations of a young Kobe Bryant through his progression of his career. The film is just over 5 minutes long and perfectly captures the essence of one of the greatest basketball players to ever play.

This film is meant to inspire not only aspiring basketball players but anyone who has a dream and sets out to work hard for it. This amazing Oscar win by Kobe Bryant shows that his impact on the sport of basketball also has impacted other industries such as film.

In addition to the actual winners of the prestigious Oscar award, there are also several African Americans that are worth mentioning who were nominated for various categories. Best Supporting Actress was a category that featured two major names in entertainment: Mary J. Blige and Octavia Spencer.

Mary J. Blige was nominated for Best Supporting Actress for her role in the film Mudbound. Mudbound is a film about two World War II veterans who return home while struggling to manage the effects of PTSD.

Octavia Spencer was also nominated Best Supporting Actress for her role in the film ‘The Shape of Water’. The Shape of Water was the most popular film at the 2018 Oscars. It’s a fantasy film about a lady custodian who falls in love with an amphibian creature. Although Spencer did not get individual recognition for the film, she was able to join her fellow cast members on stage after the film was announced Best Picture.

Prominent African-American men also received high profiled nominations for the Oscars. Although they did not win, they are still recognized for their amazing roles.

As mentioned, ‘Get Out’ took home the Original Screenplay award. The star of the film, Daniel Kaluuya, was nominated in the category of Best Actor. This film was his breakout role and was his first time staring in a major film. He didn’t win in the Best Actor category but his performance in the film Get Out helped it to create history.

One actor that’s a familiar face at the Oscars Award Show is Denzel Washington. Throughout his career, Denzel Washington was won and been nominated for numerous Oscars, across various categories. The 2018 Oscars welcomed his talent back as a nominee also featured in the Best Actor category for his role in the film Roman J Israel Esq. Denzel Washington stars in this film about a defense lawyer caught in a series of legal drama activities.

Every actor and actress featured during the Oscars are the best in their industry. Whether it’s their first Oscar appearance or a seasoned professional in the industry, everyone mentioned deserves appropriate recognition. In the past, the Oscars has been criticized for not being inclusive of more performers of color, namely African Americans. This 90^th Anniversary of the Academy Awards showed great signs of improvement by not only making history with ‘Get Out’, but featuring African Americans in several categories as nominees. African Americans are continuing to get bigger opportunities and roles in the film industry so every award and nomination is a stepping stone for future winners and nominees in the Oscars.