Making a movie that sells may be easy, but making a movie tells; from a heart-touching story to a tragic tale, complete with riveting visuals, may not be the same. The 2024 Oscar nominations feature a list that includes many of those stellar gems of 2023, and yet, from amongst them, the likes of Rustin and Nyad starring professional gems such as Colman Domingo and Jodie Foster, further beg to stand out and carry a mark of their own.

The two Netflix productions have managed to grasp a total of three Academy Awards nominations. However, their standout factor has far more substantial depth to lead them towards a win.

Colman Domingo asks people to look into the finer details of Rustin

In the run to the Oscars, alongside Maestro, Netflix also has Rustin and Nyad in the competition, although not for the Best Picture. The 2023 flick revolving around the life of Bayard Rustin has received sweeping acclaim leading to actor Colman Domingo becoming the first openly gay black man to get a nomination for the Best Actor Oscar. But Domingo wants the audience to focus on something else. In talks with the Variety Awards Circuit podcast on January 25, the 54-year-old actor spoke on his “hope that people don’t miss the craftsmanship” that it took to create the movie.

The comments also highlighted Jodie Foster, who played the role of Bonnie Stoll in Nyad. Thus, the two films have the two artists play “openly gay characters”. However, the actor stressed that beyond marking the firsts for the LGBTQ community, their movies also speak of stellar work behind the scenes. “It is not like we just showed up,” the Euphoria actor stated about his as well as Foster’s role. For his part, Colman Domingo opened up on giving “breath and scope” to a now Oscar-worthy performance with Rustin.

Interestingly, the run for a win in the upcoming Oscars may well be a battle of the best of talents marking many firsts.

Netflix eyes an Oscar in a hotly contested showdown

In the list of nominations announced for the 96th Academy Awards, Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer led the way. For Netflix, while Maestro has seven nominations, including Bradley Cooper for Best Actor, Rustin holds one with Best Actor for Colman Domingo and Nyad at two, including Annette Bening for Actress in a Leading Role and Jodie Foster for Supporting Actress. As such, a win remains a contested affair even after acknowledging the “craftsmanship”.

Thereafter, Oppenheimer already proved its mettle in the Golden Globes and BAFTA Awards as a tough contender to Maestro. For the Best Actor, Domingo has to take on Cillian Murphy, again on a winning streak. For Nyad, the arena stays packed with Emma Stone and America Ferrera standing out as favorites. Regardless, unpredictability remains a key factor in every Academy Award, hence the anticipation stands warranted.

What are your thoughts on Colman Domingo speaking about Rustin and the Oscars? Let us know in the comments below.