Nominations were announced this morning for the 87th Annual Academy Awards and included nods for LGBT-inclusive films, most notably the Alan Turing biopic The Imitation Game which scored eight total nominations, including Best Picture and Writing (Adapted Screenplay). The 87th Annual Academy Awards hosted by Neil Patrick Harris and produced by Craig Zadan and Neil Meron will air live Sunday, February 22 at 7pm EST/4pm PST on ABC.
The Imitation Game's Benedict Cumberbatch is nominated in Actor in a Leading Role for his portrayal of Turing. The film tells the story of mathematician Turing, who created a decryption machine that cracked Nazi codes during WWII and eventually helped end the war. That machine also happened to be a foundational invention for modern computers, but despite his monumental contributions to history, the fact that Turing was gay (and publicly prosecuted for it) long kept him from being recognized and celebrated by the general public. The Imitation Game is also nominated in Directing, Film Editing, Music (Original Score), Production Design, and Actress in a Supporting Role for co-star Keira Knightley. "The Imitation Game is an incredible film that shows how hugely destructive anti-LGBT culture can be, and an important historical perspective that preserves LGBT history," GLAAD President & CEO Sarah Kate Ellis said of the film.
Selma, based on the 1965 voting rights marches from Selma to Montgomery, picked up two nominations in Best Picture and Music (Original Song). The film's character ensemble features Bayard Rustin, an openly gay man who worked as an advocate for human rights. Rustin was a leading strategist for the civil rights movement from 1955 to 1968 and the chief organizer of the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom where Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his historic "I Have a Dream" speech.
Dreamworks Animation's How to Train Your Dragon 2 picked up a nomination in Animated Feature Film. Gobber, the right-hand man to the Viking tribe's chief Stoick and lead character Hiccup's mentor, had a brief coming out scene in the film. The Lego Movie is nominated in Music (Original Song) for the track "Everything is Awesome!!!" performed by out sister duo Tegan and Sara and The Lonely Island.
The 87th Annual Academy Awards hosted by Neil Patrick Harris and produced by Craig Zadan and Neil Meron will air live Sunday, February 22 at 7pm EST/4pm PST on ABC.