Kristen Stewart in “Spencer,” left, and Driana DeBose in “West Side Story,” right, are among the the 94th Annual Academy Awards nominees. The queer-inclusive cowboy film “The Power of the Dog,” center, also was nominated. Photos: from left to right, courtesy of Neon Pictures, Netflix, and 20th Century Studios.
After months of speculation about who would make the list this year, Oscars 2022 nominees have been announced. As usual, there are some surprises, some upsets, and a small number of queer folks and projects that received some well-deserved recognition.
It shouldn’t come as a surprise that out actor Kristen Stewart received a nomination for Best Actress for her turn as Princess Diana in “Spencer.” But her snub by the SAG awards and the BAFTAS put that in question this year.
Fellow out actor Ariana DeBose scored a nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Anita in “West Side Story.” DeBose took home the Golden Globe for her performance, and if she wins at the Oscars 2022, she’ll be the second actor to win in this role, as Rita Moreno earned an Academy Award for her performance as Anita in the original 1961 film.
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Andrew Garfield also received a nod for Best Actor for his performance in Netflix’s “Tick, Tick…Boom!” about straight ally and “Rent” mastermind Jonathan Larson. Award-winning trans actress Michaela Jaé Rodriguez also appears in the film.
The queer-inclusive cowboy film “The Power of the Dog” cleaned up at the announcement ceremony, receiving nominations for Best Picture, Best Director (Jane Campion, who’s the first woman in the history of the awards to receive two nominations in this category), Best Actor for Benedict Cumberbatch, Best Supporting Actress for Kirsten Dunst, Best Supporting Actors Jesse Plemons and Kodi Smit-McPhee, Best Sound, Best Original Score, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Film Editing.
“Flee,” the animated documentary about a gay Afghan refugee, earned nods for Best Animated Feature, Best Documentary Feature, and Best International Feature Film. “The Mitchells vs. The Machines,” which features a queer daughter, was also nominated for Best Animated Feature. And somewhat queer-coded “Luca” received a nomination in the category.
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As to the queer snubs, it was surprising not to see Lady Gaga get the nod for “House of Gucci” and both Robin DeJesús from “Tick, Tick…Boom!” and Tessa Thompson from “Passing” being overlooked was disappointing, to say the least.
The Oscars are set to air March 27.
This article originally appeared on Advocate.com, and is shared here as part of an LGBTQ+ community exchange between Q Voice News and Pride Media.
