As the buzz for Netflix’s first foray into feature film, Beasts of No Nation, hits festival after festival and the Oscar buzz gets louder and louder could we see Best Supporting Actor contender (and virtual lock) Idris Elba be joined on Oscar nomination morning by his co-star Abraham Attah in Lead?
In the film, Attah plays Agu, a child soldier taken from his family in the midst of a civil war under the tutelage of Elba’s Commandant.
Although Beasts is Attah’s film debut I’m reminded of another youngster whose film debut catapulted her all the way to an Oscar nomination for a small film that was buoyed by early internet buzz. That girl was Keisha Castle-Hughes for the film Whale Rider (2003). In 2013, another child performance in a ‘Beasts’ film grabbed a Lead nomination for the film debut of Quvenzhané Wallis. At nine years old, she is the youngest Best Actress nominee in Academy history. It’s very possible that Attah will gain traction by winning the numerous youth performance awards available in the awards-heavy season leading up to the Oscars and those will only help him get to the Dolby next February.
If you think it might be difficult for a child actor to get Oscar nominated (or win) you might be surprised at just how open the Academy can be to a child performance that completely captures the season. Granted, Best Actor seems to be a harder category to crack than the supporting ones but it’s happened. Here’s a list of just a handful of nominees and winners age 14 and under throughout the years.
Beasts of No Nation is based on the novel by Nigerian author Uzodinma Iweala and adapted and directed by Cary Fukunaga (True Detective, Sin Nombre) and will premiere on Netflix on October 16th after appearing at the Toronto and Venice film festivals.
Check out the trailer and tell me what you think.
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