Another year, another round of awards ceremonies with connections to Cincinnati.
This year’s Academy Awards features a mixed bag of nominations befitting the weird year we’ve all been through.
The 93rd annual Academy Awards, airing April 25 doesn’t have a host yet but does have the most diverse slate of nominated talent, USA TODAY said. Nine of the 20 acting nominees are people of color.
Here are this year’s Cincinnati connections:
More:Oscar nominations 2021: ‘Mank’ leads with 10 honors, Viola Davis makes history
Regina King snubbed for best director
Oscar-winning actress Regina King did not receive a nod for best director. USA TODAY said it was one of the Oscar’s biggest snubs.
King has received many accolades for her feature directing debut, “One Night in Miami,” including a Golden Globe best director nomination.
King was born in Cincinnati but grew up in Los Angeles. She sent her first Emmy Award to her hometown of Cincinnati where her mother and grandmother could watch over it.
“King could not break into the top five best director nomination spots for Oscars, however, for helming the period drama which did not receive a best picture nomination. Leslie Odom Jr. received a best-supporting actor nomination,” USA TODAY said.
King has earned numerous awards for her acting, including the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for “If Beale Street Could Talk,” plus Emmy Awards for “American Crime,” “Seven Seconds” and “Watchmen.”
Glenn Close nominated for “Hillbilly Elegy”
“Hillbilly Elegy,” a story of a Middletown native that was partially filmed in the city, missed out on big awards but Glenn Close was nominated for best supporting actress for her role in the film.
The Ron Howard-directed movie was filed in Middletown for a few days during production. Middletown native J.D. Vance wrote the 2016 best-selling memoir about growing up in a struggling family. The memoir and movie are set mostly in Middletown.
“The Trial of the Chicago 7” snags top nominations
“The Trial of the Chicago 7,” a film about the Yippies anti-war protestors including Cincinnatian Jerry Rubin, netted a number of nominations including best picture and best original screenplay.
Sacha Baron Cohen was also nominated for best supporting actor for his role in the film.
More:Our history: 1960s radical Jerry Rubin was a showman
“Chicago 7” is primarily set during the bloody 1968 clash between protesters and Chicago police, and the 1969 legal aftermath, when the trial began for a group of defendants.
Rubin had co-founded the Youth International Party, or Yippies.
Rubin (Jeremy Strong) and Abbie Hoffman (Cohen) openly mocked the court and were found in contempt. Rubin spent two months in jail, but the convictions were overturned.
USA TODAY contributed to this article.
