A year after the #OscarsSoWhite hashtag responded to the lack of diversity in Academy Award nominations, seven actors of color earned Oscar nominations and the critical favorite Moonlight netted seven nominations, including Best Picture, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced Tuesday.
Also nominated for Best Picture are the black-centric films Hidden Figures and Fences.
The Hollywood musical La La Land leads the field with 14 nominations, tying a record set by All About Eve and Titanic.
Denzel Washington is nominated for best actor for his performance in Fences and newcomer Ruth Negga earned a nod for her role in Loving.
Mahershala Ali was nominated as a supporting actor for his much-lauded performance in Moonlight, as was Dev Patel for Lion.
In the best supporting actress category, three of the five nominees are African American women: Viola Davis for Fences, Naomie Harris for Moonlight and Octavia Spencer for Hidden Figures.
Moonlight, the Barry Jenkins film about a young black man growing up in a rough Miami neighborhood, also earned nominations for cinematography, directing, film editing, original score and adapted screenplay. Editor Joi McMillon is the first African American woman nominated in that category.
Additionally, the James Baldwin documentary I Am Not Your Negro was nominated for best documentary feature.
The Academy Awards ceremony will take place on February 26.
