While the Oscars are still months away, films have to start campaigning early. That’s especially true in categories like live action short and documentary short.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Grammy-winner Kendrick Lamar finds himself among the eligible nominees for live action short. The rapper’s We Cry Together, which is the video for the song from his latest album Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers, co-stars Taylour Paige, with she and Lamar acting out the tumultuous breakup from the track.
In accordance with Academy rules that every movie eligible for an Academy Award must screen for at least one week in Los Angeles or New York City before the end of the year, We Cry Together played June 3-9 at the Laemmle Royal Theater in West LA. It held one screening a day in the 180-seat main theater for those involved in the project, their family and friends, as well as the select few who were able to get tickets. Phones were confiscated to make sure the screening was kept private.
If we’re being honest, there’s no way Academy members are going to vote for this very Black short film full of explicit lyrics that definitely make white people uncomfortable. “We Cry Together” is one of the most controversial songs on Mr. Morale, as the personal nature of its content has made some listeners feel awkward, while others applaud how real it is.
Though the “Humble” artist was previously nominated for an Academy Award in 2019 for Best Original Song for “All the Stars” from Black Panther, he’s up against stiff competition, as superstar Taylor Swift is also eligible for her short, All Too Well.
Tennis star Naomi Osaka also has a short in the running. The four-time Grand Slam champion is an executive producer on Mink!, Oscar-winner Ben Proudfoot’s (The Queen of Basketball) documentary short on Patsy Takemoto Mink. She represented Hawaii as the first woman of color elected to the U.S. House of Representatives and co-authored Title IX.
In case it’s a section of the show you usually skip during the three-hour plus broadcast, live action, animated and documentary short can offer some of the most interesting nominees of the night and it seems like this year could be can’t miss.