From producers and directors to actors and costume designers, several accomplished movie-makers have already made history this awards season, and others will have the chance to earn their place in the history books this weekend.
After decades of directing critically-acclaimed films like “Do the Right Thing” and “Malcolm X,” 61-year-old director Spike Lee has finally received his first Oscar nomination for Best Director, for the film “BlacKkKlansman” (Lee was previously awarded an Honorary Academy Award in 2016.)
If he wins Best Director, he’ll be the first African-American to take home the prize.
Neilson Barnard | Getty Images Entertainment | Getty Images
Lady Gaga arrives at the premiere of “A Star Is Born”
The artist has been nominated for Best Actress for her role as Ally in “A Star is Born” as well as Best Song for “Shallow” which she co-wrote and sings in the film.
According to ABC, Gaga is the first person to be nominated for Best Actress and Best Song. If she wins, she will make history once more. However, the musician is in good company alongside Mary J. Blige who earned nominations for Best Supporting Actress and Best Song for her work on “Mudbound” in 2018.
Steve Granitz/WireImage | Getty Images
Alfonso Cuarón attends the 91st Oscars Nominees Luncheon at The Beverly Hilton Hotel on February 04, 2019 in Beverly Hills, California.
Mexican director Alfonso Cuarón previously won Best Director and Best Editing for his 2014 film “Gravity,” but 2019 could be his most successful year yet.
Cuarón was nominated for Best Director, Best Original Screenplay and Best Cinematography for his auto-biographical film “Roma.” According to IndieWire, Cuarón is the first person to be nominated for Best Cinematography and Best Director in the same year, for the same film. If Cuarón wins all three awards on Sunday, he would make history again as the first person to win all three awards for the same film in the same year.
REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni
Mexican actor Yalitza Aparicio, who is nominated for an Oscar for Best Actress for “Roma,” poses for a portrait in West Hollywood, California, U.S., February 15, 2019.
When 25-year-old “Roma” star Yalitza Aparicio walks the red carpet before the Academy Awards on Sunday, she will already have made history.
She’s the second Mexican actress and the first Mexican indigenous actress nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress. In December, she became the first indigenous woman to appear on the cover of Vogue Mexico in the magazine’s 20-year history. Should she win the Oscar on Sunday, she’ll make history again, an accomplishment she says has made her family proud.
Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images
Gabriela Rodriguez attends the ‘Roma’ New York screening at DGA Theater on November 27, 2018 in New York City.
“Roma” Producer Gabriela Rodriguez has already made history as the first Latina to be nominated for Best Picture — as a producer of the film — and if “Roma” wins, she will officially be the first Latina to win Best Picture.
“The truth is that as a human being, not even as a woman or a Latina, this is incredible,” Rodriguez tells The Washington Post. “To me is an immense satisfaction that people that do what I do, people in the industry that I respect and admire, recognize the incredible work that we have done.”
Rich Fury/Getty Images
Ruth E. Carter attends the 21st Costume Designers Guild Awards
“Black Panther” costume designer Ruther E. Carter received her third nomination this year for Best Costume Design. According to CNN, if she wins she would become the first Black woman to take home the award.
Carter tells Harper’s Bazaar that this nomination however, is particularly special. “I feel like I have made a mark in my career and I am very proud of it,” she says. “It couldn’t have happened on a better film. This film in particular is very special and I’m honored this is the one that took me to the Oscars.”
VALERIE MACON/AFP/Getty Images
Hannah Beachler, production designer, poses for a picture in West Hollywood, California, on February 22, 2018.
