The 93rd Academy Awards will go down in history for many reasons this year.  It was the first partially virtual Oscar telecast.  There was a record number of nominations and wins for the Black community and, for the first time ever, a spectacular presence of Asian and Asian-American talent, both in front and behind the camera. Missing in the diversity Oscar equation were U.S. Latinos in most categories.

Asians Make History

The presence of Asians and Asian-Americans was indeed impressive this year, with many firsts.

Minari, the story about a Korean-American family that moves to an Arkansas farm searching for the American dream, received five Academy Award nominations. Lee Isaac Chung received a nomination for best director; Steven Yeun, became the first Asian American to be nominated in the best actor category, while Yuh-Jung Youn, took home the Best Supporting Actress golden statuette.

Chloé Zhao, director of Nomadland, made history as the first Asian woman to win the Oscar for directing and the second woman to win the Best Directing award in nearly 100 years.

Riz Ahmed now holds the distinction of being the first Muslim to be nominated for an Oscar as a lead actor in Sound of Metal. 

Latino Oscar Wins 

Oscar wins for Latinos came mainly in the behind-the-camera categories, where they were part of the creative teams.

Carlos Cortes was part of the win for the Oscar award for sound to Sound of Metal. The team also included Jaime Baksht, Phillip Bladh and Michelle Couttolenc.

Sergio Lopez-Rivera, Viola Davis’ personal make-up artist, received an Oscar for Best Make-up, the first Latino to do so. His two partners, Mia Neal and Jamika Wilson, also became the first African Americans to win the Oscar for their work as hairstylists for Ma’ Rainey’s Black Bottom. [Featured photo]

In the press room, Lopez-Rivera, when fielding questions about diversity, commented, “We look forward to the time when these questions [of diversity] are moot.” 

Although nominated, there was no win for El agente topp (The Mole Agent), the documentary from Chile  El agente topo (The Mole Agent)

The only two Latino presenters were EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony) actress Rita Moreno. She presented the Best Picture Oscar to the producers of Nomadland.  While Oscar-winning actor Joaquin Phoenix, who many don’t know was born in Puerto Rico, presented the lead actor and actress award at the end of the show to Anthony Hopkins for Best Actor in The Father and Francis McDormand for Best Actress in Nomadland.

It was a different kind of night at the Academy Awards.  The first time the Oscars aired from various venues, the Dolby¨ Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center¨in Hollywood, and international locations via satellite. The usual star-studded event, with not as many A-list actors in attendance.  However, we still got a glimpse of the designer gowns as the stars walked the red carpet, still following safe distancing as required. Instead of an orchestra and dance numbers, there was celebrity DJ Questlove “scratching” us off to and back from commercials. But what was all too familiar was the scant presence of U.S. Latinos on the Oscar nomination ballot.

— Featured Photo: Nomadland’s Peter Spears, Frances McDormand, Chloe Zhao, Mollye Asher and Dan Janvey (Photo: ABC) T

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Spain-born Lopez-Rivera recently took the Make-Up Artists & Hair Stylists Award in feature motion pictures for best period and/or character make-up in the biopic starring Viola Davis. He shared the honor with his film colleagues Matiki Anoff, Carl Fullerton and Debi Young. The annual prize is presented by the Make-Up Artists & Hair Stylists Guild and the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, Moving Picture Technicians, Artists and Allied Crafts Local 706. 

That’s the fifth award that Lopez-Rivera has earned for his work on Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, in which he transformed Davis into the legendary “Mother of the Blues”. His other wins include a BAFTA Award and a Hollywood Critics Association Award.

The Ma Rainey’s makeup team could be adding another prestigious honor to their resume this month. They are contenders for the Oscar for make-up and hairstyle.

López Rivera’s make-up career spans over three decades, including the 1997 romcom film The Opposite of Sex and television series like Felicity, Monk, Private Practice, and more recently How to Get Away With Murder.

A resident of Los Angeles, he is a sought-after makeup artist by celebrities with a client roster that has included Alicia Silverstone, Keri Russell, Patricia Arquette, Kate Walsh, Christina Ricci, Patrick Dempsey, Tony Shalhoub and Toni Collette, among others. 

Lopez-Rivera is represented by Cloutier Remix Agency.

Featured Top Photo: Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom. (Credit: Netflix)

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