LOS ANGELES -- Netflix finally cracked the Academy Awards.
After years of aggressive maneuvering, the streaming service received its first-ever nomination for best picture Tuesday, with Oscar voters naming Roma as one of the best movies of 2018. The meditative black-and-white film about life in Mexico in the 1970s -- which officially has North American ticket sales of zero, because Netflix does not release its films in a traditional manner -- amassed 10 nominations overall, including for Alfonso Cuaron's direction, cinematography and original screenplay.
Yalitza Aparicio, who plays the lead role in Roma, received a best actress nomination, a rare recognition for an indigenous Mexican woman.
Rounding out the best picture category were idiosyncratic indies (The Favourite, Vice), studio crowd-pleasers (Black Panther, A Star Is Born, Bohemian Rhapsody), and films about racism in America (BlacKkKlansman, Green Book).
"I can't remember a time when best picture had such diversity across the board," said David Linde, chief executive of Participant Media, which helped produce Roma and Green Book.
Even so, the acting categories were less inclusive, with one black actor and one black actress among the 20 nominees. All of the directing, cinematography, editing and original score nominees were men.
The Favourite tied with Roma for the most nominations. The dark-hearted period comedy The Favourite saw Olivia Colman get a best actress nod.
A Star Is Born received eight nominations -- fewer than expected, with Bradley Cooper failing to get a director nomination. Cooper was recognized for his lead acting, however. Lady Gaga received nods for her lead acting and songwriting. Vice, a comedic biopic about Dick Cheney, also had eight nominations.
The best actress contest is unusually competitive. Glenn Close received her seventh Oscar nomination -- she has never won -- for playing the title role in The Wife. Close, who won a Golden Globe for the performance, will be vying against first-time nominees Aparicio, Gaga and Colman, also a Globe winner. Melissa McCarthy, who starred in Can You Ever Forgive Me?, drew the fifth slot.
Among actors, Cooper will compete against Christian Bale, who transformed himself into Cheney in Vice, and Rami Malek, who morphed into a toothy Freddie Mercury in Bohemian Rhapsody. Also nominated were Willem Dafoe (At Eternity's Gate) and Viggo Mortensen (Green Book).
The 91st Academy Awards are Sunday, Feb. 24. The show will be broadcast on ABC.
A Section on 01/23/2019