Guardian Documentary Nominated For An Oscar

A Guardian documentary Black Sheep, which follows the story of a young man who becomes a target  of extreme verbal and physical racial abuse, has been nominated for an Oscar.

Free to watch on the Guardian website, Black Sheep has been revealed as one of the five films nominated in the Documentary Short Subject category for the 91st Academy Awards. The winners of the Oscars will be announced on February 24th during a ceremony in Los Angeles.

This is the first time a Guardian-commissioned documentary has been nominated for an Oscar. Black Sheep is also the only European film nominated in the Documentary Short Subject category this year.

Katharine Viner, Guardian News & Media editor-in-chief, said: “It’s wonderful to see such an important and personal story resonate with so many people and I’m delighted that the Guardian helped to tell it. As Black Sheep continues to win praise around the world, this Oscar nomination is a real honour for the film and the talented team who worked on it.”

Charlie Phillips, Guardian News & Media head of documentaries, said: “We’re proud that this unique film has been recognised by the Academy and that Cornelius’ story will spread even further with this nomination.

“Thanks to his bravery in speaking with such candour, combined with Ed Perkins’ beautiful filmmaking, this film will resonate with anyone who’s struggled with their identity as a teenager, and it says something profound and relevant about race in today’s world.”

Black Sheep has already picked up a number of high-profile industry awards winning the Best Short Documentary award at Sheffield Doc/Fest, as well as Best of Fest, Best Documentary and Best Screenplay at the Aesthetica Short Film Festival.

Black Sheep is directed by Ed Perkins, produced by Simon Chinn and Jonathan Chinn, co-founders of award-winning production company Lightbox, and executive produced by the Guardian’s Head of Documentaries Charlie Phillips and Lindsay Poulton.