Black Sheep, a film commissioned by the Guardian, has been nominated for best short documentary at the 2019 Oscars.
Directed by Ed Perkins, Black Sheep tells the story of Cornelius Walker, a black 11-year-old from London who moves with his family to a housing estate in Essex after the murder of schoolboy Damilola Taylor in 2000. Walker, the same age as Taylor and of similar background, found himself confronting a gang of local racists and, after first fighting back, went to extraordinary lengths to fit in and gain their friendship.
The film features interviews with Walker looking back 15 years on from the events he describes, which are re-enacted in the locations where they took place, with Kai Francis Lewis playing Walker.
Responding to the nomination, Walker said that he was, “humbled and proud. I worked on this film to tell my story and hoped that it would resonate with people. To be nominated for this award is the highest recognition.”
The film was produced by Simon Chinn and Jonathan Chinn of Lightbox (collaborator on the Whitney Houston documentary Whitney). Simon Chinn has previously won best documentary Oscars in 2013 for Searching for Sugar Man and in 2009 for Man on Wire. Black Sheep is executive produced by the Guardian’s head of documentaries, Charlie Phillips, and Lindsay Poulton, executive producer, documentaries.
Katharine Viner, the editor-in-chief of Guardian News & Media, said: “It’s wonderful to see such an important and personal story resonate with so many people and I’m delighted that the Guardian helped to tell it.”
Phillips added: “Thanks to [Cornelius’s] bravery in speaking with such candour, combined with Ed Perkins’ beautiful filmmaking, this film will resonate with anyone who’s struggled with their identity as a teenager, and it says something profound and relevant about race in today’s world.”
Simon Chinn said that he was “thrilled and honoured” at the nomination. “Thanks to Ed, to everyone who worked on the film and to Cornelius, who was so generous and candid in telling his story and without whom this film could never have been made,” he added.
Black Sheep has already won a string of awards, including best short at Sheffield Doc/Fest and the grand jury prize at the Berlin British Shorts film festival. It is the first time a Guardian film has been nominated for an Oscar.
The Academy Awards will take place on 24 February at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.
