Faith-filled Films Garner Seven Oscar Nominations
Surprises and snubs are the name of the game during award season. And, this morning's 2017 Academy Awards nominations didn't disappoint.
Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone's musical spectacular, La La Land, tied the all-time record for total nods with 14. And Suicide Squad managed to squeeze out a nomination in the Hair & Makeup category.
Beyond the standard list of snubs and surprises, what's interesting is that a number of nominations honor movies that feature the Christian faith. Two of those films share an actor in common -- Andrew Garfield.
Garfield, who's recently spoken about 'falling in love with Jesus', snagged a spot in the Best Actor category. This is the first Oscar nominaton for the British actor, who's famous for his stint as Spider-Man.
Garfield's latest movie Silence, directed by Academy Award-winning filmmaker Martin Scorsese, received one nomination -- for Best Cinematography. That's not surprising. It's a difficult movie to watch because of the subject matter (the persecution and torture of Japanese Christians during the 17th century). But, it is beautifully shot, deserving of this Oscar nomination -- and much more.
Another bit of news is that the Academy has extended an olive branch to shunned filmmaker Mel Gibson. The two-time Oscar winner just received a nod for Best Director for Hacksaw Ridge. This is Gibson's first Academy Award nomination in more than two decades (Braveheart, 1995).
The faith-filled film, about a Seventh-day Adventist who becomes the first conscientious objector to win the Medal of Honor for his heroics as a combat medic during World War II, received six nominations in total (for Best Picture, Best Actor in a Leading Role, Best Director, Best Film Editing, Best Sound Editing, and Best Sound Mixing).
Late-night's Jimmy Kimmel is set to host the 89th Academy Awards live on ABC from the legendary Kodak Theater in Los Angeles, on Sunday, February 26th.
2017 OSCAR NOMINATIONS:
BEST PICTURE
ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE
Casey Affleck, Manchester by the Sea
Andrew Garfield, Hacksaw Ridge
Ryan Gosling, La La Land
Viggo Mortensen, Captain Fantastic
ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE
Isabelle Huppert, Elle
Ruth Negga, Loving
Natalie Portman, Jackie
Emma Stone, La La Land
Meryl Streep, Florence Foster Jenkins
See the full list of the 2017 Oscar nominations on oscar.go.com.