The 2019 Oscar nominations were announced by hosts Kumail Nanjiani and Tracee Ellis Ross at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater. The 91st Academy Awards has surprised voters with some of the contenders.

  In past years, voters have criticized the Oscars for not nominating films with various racial actors. The hashtag #OscarsSoWhite spread as a repercussion in 2015 and 2016, due to the Oscars lack of minority representation.

  This year, the Oscars were able to vote for  a diverse group of movies, with films like Roma gaining a nomination for Best Picture along with nine other bids, making it tied with The Favourite for being the most nominated picture.

  Roma is Netflix’s first-ever Oscar qualifier. The drama movie is a black-and-white film based on Mexican life during the 1970s. The Oscars also acknowledged the lead role Indigenous actress, Yalitza Aparicio, for the Best Actress award.

  As a fan of Netflix Originals, Yusra Memon (11) commented, “Netflix is a really popular streaming service and has produced multiple fantastic movies like Roma. Their nominations are well-deserved.”

  Apart from Roma gaining an appreciation for foreign-language movies in the Oscars, Black Panther glorified black heritage and received six nominations, including Best Picture.

  The Marvel movie was the first-ever superhero film to be a contender for that award. It excelled in music categories mostly like Song Score, Sound Mixing, and Sound Editing.

  David Linde, who helped in the production of the two Oscar-nominated movies, Roma and Green Book, said, “I can’t remember a time when Best Picture had such diversity across the board.”

  There is additional minority representation in movies like The Favourite, which was celebrated by gay rights advocates for its depiction of lesbian relationships. For the movie, Olivia Colman gained a Best Actress bid while Rachel Weisz and Emma Stone both have a shot at Best Supporting Actress.

  A Star is Born has also become a candidate for Best Picture. The movie had a feminist touch to it with a storyline following the struggles of a female artist in the music industry. However, Bradley Cooper did not receive the audience-anticipated director nomination for the movie.

  Upon seeing the multicultural options for the Academy Awards, Daibik Chakraborty (12) said, “Our film industry is progressing in the right direction by encompassing a multitude of backgrounds in their movies and celebrating different cultures.”

  Now that the nominations are released, people are anxious for the actual awards ceremony on Sunday, February 24th. The 91st annual Academy Awards will be held at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood.