“To be standing here representing one of the greatest artist of our time, James Baldwin, is a little surreal,” said King. But if the script this Oscar season has been constantly rewritten, the film academy is hoping for a Hollywood ending (and much better ratings than the all-time low viewership last year .) But just how many people have seen one of the top nominees and the film favoured to win best picture — Alfonso Cuaron’s “Roma” — remains unknown. Though Cuaron is favoured for best director, a win for Lee (“BlacKkKlansman”) would make him the first black filmmaker to ever win the award. Many have criticized this year’s selections for lacking a female nominee in the best director category (Greta Gerwig was the fifth ever last year) or a best picture nominee directed by a woman.

Source: National Post February 24, 2019 19:01 UTC