The controversy surrounding The Birth of a Nation director Nate Parker has not been enough to deter a strong showing in the nominations for the NAACP Image awards, which were announced on Tuesday.
Parker has been nominated for best film actor, writer and director, while Birth of a Nation, a drama about the brutally supressed 1831 slave rebelion led by Nat Turner, received nominations for best film, and best independent film. Aja Naomi King received a best supporting actress nod as Turner’s wife, Cherry.
After the film’s success at the Sundance film festival, where it won both the grand jury prize and audience awards for dramatic features, hopes were high for its commercial and awards success. However, after it emerged that Parker had been charged with, and acquitted of, rape while a student at Penn State university, its momentum stalled and box office returns were modest on its release in October.
Moonlight, the much-admired drama about a young black man’s struggle with his sexuality, also gained six nominations, including best director for Barry Jenkins and best supporting actor for Mahershala Ali and Trevante Rhodes.
The Image awards, presented by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People for “excellence in film, television, music, and literature by outstanding people of color” covers a variety of art forms. Beyoncé leads the nominations list, with nine, including entertainer of the year and best female artist, while Atlanta creator Donald Glover has three in the TV list, for best director, actor and writer.
The NAACP Image awards will be announced on February 11. For a full list of nominees click here.
