How many Oscars should "Selma" have been up for?
Monday, January 18, 2021 at 8:00PM 
On this MLK Day, we couldn't help but think back to Selma (2014), which was just a bit ahead of its time in terms of Oscar recognition... or perhaps right on time, helping to usher in the current understanding that awards organizations and honors needed to be more diverse, depending on how you look at its performance that year. Though the movie did well at the box office it had a disappointing awards run finishing the season with zero SAG nods and only two Oscar nominations (despite a strong showing at the Globes and the Critics Choice): Best Picture and Best Original Song ("Glory" which won). One of my favourite memories from that year was a NYC fyc party where "Glory" was performed live with so many of the film's luminaries in the room. It was so incredibly moving so I've embedded it below from way back in 2014. What would you have honored Selma for in its year?
Reader Comments (30)
can we all agree that effin' American Sniper took most of the nods Selma deserved? Actor, Adapted screenplay and Editing for sure and replace Morten Tyldum (literally one of the most forgettable and wasted nominations in Direction) with Ava DuVernay
I wouldnt nominate it for Best Picture for sure.
Considering the other nominees that year, I would definitely have replaced one of the leading men with David Oyelowo, one of the directors with DuVernay and one of the supporting women with Carmen Ejogo. Take your pick in each category. At least it got the Best Picture nod.
I don't like the song.
I agree with two of the comments that Selma deserved so many more nominations than it got. I was going to also suggest cinematography for the brilliant Bradford Young but he did an even better job that year for A Most Violent Year.
I prefer A Wrinkle in Time.
It was such a strange year as Selma had such a late premiere, which is likely why it fell off the SAG list. Even when it premiered at AFI, it was not 100% finished. Had it been done earlier and fully screened/released in November/early December it likely would've had a better hold.
Would definitely nominate Ava Duvernay in Directing, Oyelowo in Actor and Cinematography, Costume Design and Film Editing.
Such a great film!!!
Henry G, Sanders (star of legendary director Charles Burnett’s Killer of Sheep) deserved the nomination, if not the win, for his portrayal of Cager Lee in Selma. Sanders portrayed the grieving grandfather whose grandson lost his life protecting the elderly man from police brutality. His heartbreaking portrayal is the heart of this film and one of the finest performances of that year.
i don't think Selma is a very good movie. ava's directing is...not great. it's like it's two movies: all the outdoor scenes are stirring and well-executed and then all interior scenes...have...the...pacing...of...a...glacier...melting. it's also more than a little self-conscious of its own importance. David O was amazing though and certainly should have had Carrel's spot.
LOL, I don't even think I would have nominated Glory. Wilkinson was the best thing about it and the closest I come to nominating it for anything. 2014 was so strong and Selma just isn't up to par with films like Mommy, Under the Skin, Whiplash, Birdman, Budapest Hotel, Calvary, We Are the Best, and Two Days One Night. Selma is a touch...pedestrian.
Selma is not very good. Ava Duvernay is a hack, as she has proven over and over again. It takes some kind of reverse talent to take such a fascinating story and turn it into bland pap. The only nomination I would have given it is Oprah Winfrey for Supporting Actress. Her performance is quite strong.
Only add Oyelowo for Best Actor
Picture, Actor, Director, Screenplay, Editing. Maybe not cinematography that year. Prefer Ejogo over several of the actual nominees but wouldn't be close to my five. Farrrr superior in Sparkle and Roman J. Israel, Esq.
The question, as always, is "honored instead of whom"... personally, I would have nominated David Oyelowo over everyone except Michael Keaton in that lineup (and bring in Ralph Fiennes and Jake Gyllenhaal while we're at it), Ava DuVernay could have taken Bennett Miller or Morten Tyldum's spot, maybe Tom Wilkinson instead of Robert Duvall, cinematography would be instead of Unbroken, though that might be about it (2014 had Birdman, Boyhood, The Grand Budapest Hotel and Whiplash, all filmsthat, in my opinion, have aged better than Selma).
I was upset at the time, but in retrospect the only one that still upsets me is David Oyelowo missing out. Then again, best actor was a bit of a mess that year anyway. I definitely would take American Sniper out completely, so whatever replaced it I’d feel better about.
Ugh I’d forgotten all about American Sniper. People blame the late release of Selma for its underperformance, but what about Sniper? It was even later. The truth is that Oscar voters were much more interested in watching and voting for it than Selma.
This is truly one of the most frustrating blind spots in Oscar history, for me.
Should’ve been up for Picture, Director, Actor (win), Supporting Actress, Screenplay, Editing, Cinematography, and Song (win). A comparable movie about a white historical leader with the same reception would’ve gotten at least that.
Incredible how obviously the Academy bungled Lead Actor this year. A fairly unremarkable winner and three degrees of uninspired nominees, ahead of work as now-well-remembered as Oyelowo, Fiennes, or Gyllenhaal - all in films they at least to some degree liked.
Eh, it got nominated for the big one and won a category where there were probably three more deserving nominees, so I don't get the complaining that the film was shortchanged when compared to actual quality it may have overperformed.
I agree with a couple of other commenters about the song. It's good, but without the privilege of a personal live performance or sharing a social gathering with it's stars and creators it doesn't rise above just good.
I would’ve nominated Oyelowo before anyone else in the actual lineup, but I think he just misses my own lineup.
Regardless of how you feel, the fact Morten Tyldum was nominated for best director over DuVer nay is just insanity
I'm of the minority opinion that American Sniper is an interesting, robust picture and that Bradley Cooper is excellent in it. Having said that, I think Selma is quite clearly the bigger achievement and should have been nominated for Best Picture, Director, Screenplay and Editing that year. Best Actor was such a competitive category that year, but Oyelowo should have been an easy get despite that and it's bananas to me that he didn't get in. I'd probably give Best Original Song to Lost Stars that year, but the performance of Glory on the night was undeniably one of the ceremony's highlights.
This movie is so overrated. Its a decent movie but nothing more. I would’ve nominated it for cinematography and song. No wins.
I would have nommed it Song only.
Surprised I seem to be in the minority, but Selma really does it for me. I like it a lot and I think Oyelowo gives a great performance.
That said, I agree with the above commenter that I would have given Best Song to Lost Stars. Bringing Chris Pine to tears should be reward enough for that song.
Does anyone else think Selma would have gotten more awards traction had it not come out one year after 12 Years a Slave? I always imagine the Academy dismissing Selma because "we solved racism last year."
SELMA was my favorite film the year it was released, totally snubbed at the Oscars (perhaps because of its late release, but more likely than that, because of its subject matter and the fact that it was directed by a Black woman - the Academy was not ready). DuVernay deserved a nod for director (and she also had a major hand in rewriting the screenplay), Oyelowo for actor, Ejogo for supporting actress, Young for cinematography (the scene where King and a young John Lewis take a late-night car ride stands out for its expert lighting of its Black actors' skin, something Young was acclaimed for at the time), as well as citations for editing, costume design, and perhaps even sound editing and/or mixing for the harrowing Pettus Bridge scene. "Glory" is a deserving best song winner, and the performance at the Oscars quite powerful. Glad to see this film revisited!
I would add Oyelowo and maybe costumes. And i would take away its Best Picture nomination
Cinematography and song
Best actor.
Surprisingly, I agree completely with Selma’s Oscar nominations. It’s a strong movie and makes my list in several categories, but only lands in the top five for Original Song. It’s my #8 film of the year, so I would agree with its Best Picture nomination as well if I, like the Academy, also nominated eight that year.