Today Apple is recognised by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for deeply moving films that honour the human condition, as Apple Original Films land Academy Award nominations for Best Supporting Actor Brian Tyree Henry in “Causeway,” alongside Best Animated Short Film “The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse.” The news was announced by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and winners for the 95th Annual Academy Awards will be revealed on Sunday, 12 March, in Los Angeles, California.
“At Apple, our creative ambition is to bring powerful stories that celebrate our shared humanity to audiences across the globe and so we couldn’t be happier that the Academy today has recognised these hopeful, uplifting and moving films,” said Matt Dentler, head of features, Apple Original Films. “The beauty of friendship and found families is explored in different but equally insightful ways in these two motion pictures and we are immensely proud of the nominees.”
Brian Tyree Henry’s performance in “Causeway” has been praised as “some of the best work in his career” (Chicago Sun-Times), “one of the most celebrated performances of the year” (Awards Watch), and an example of “superb acting” (The New York Times) from “one of the most exciting actors” (Collider). Henry’s outstanding performance was also recently honoured with AAFCA Awards and CCA Black Cinema wins, alongside nominations from the Gotham Awards, the NAACP Image Awards, Film Independent Spirit Awards, the London Critics Circle and many more.
“The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse,” based on the beloved book by Charlie Mackesy, has been hailed as a “stunning” (Awards Daily) film “translating the exquisite illustrations into hand-drawn animation” (Indiewire), that is “lovely, poignant, beautiful, moving” (TODAY). The film has been recently honoured with seven Annie Awards nominations, and has also received BAFTA Film Awards and NAACP Image Awards nods.
Apple made history in 2022, landing three Academy Awards from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for “CODA,” with the first-ever win by a streamer for Best Picture, alongside awards for Best Supporting Actor for Troy Kotsur, and Best Adapted Screenplay for Siân Heder. “CODA” was also the first motion picture starring a predominantly Deaf cast in leading roles to win Best Picture; Troy Kotsur, the first Deaf male actor to win Best Supporting Actor; and writer-director Siân Heder landed her first-ever Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay.
Academy Award nominations earned by Apple today include:
“Causeway”
Best Supporting Actor — Brian Tyree Henry
“The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse”
Best Animated Short Film
To date, Apple Original films, documentaries and series have earned 315 wins and 1,390 award nominations and counting, including multi-Emmy Award-winning comedy “Ted Lasso” and Oscar Best Picture winner “CODA.”
“Causeway”
In “Causeway,” the new drama directed by Lila Neugebauer, Oscar-winning actress Jennifer Lawrence plays Lynsey, a military engineer who has returned to the States from Afghanistan with a debilitating brain injury after an IED explosion. It's a painful and slow recovery as she relearns to walk and retrains her memory, but when she returns home to New Orleans she has to face memories even more aching and formative than those she had in service — a reckoning with her childhood. When Lynsey’s truck breaks down, she meets mechanic James Aucoin (Brian Tyree Henry), and slowly they start to rely on each other for company and solace. These two damaged souls' budding friendship forms the centre and the heart of Neugebauer's debut feature — a quiet but devastating, and ultimately uplifting, story about coming to terms and moving forward.
“The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse”
The poignant journey follows the unlikely friendship of a boy, a mole, a fox and a horse travelling together in the boy’s search for home. The film, featuring Mackesy’s distinctive illustrations brought to life in full color with beautiful hand-drawn animation, stars Tom Hollander as The Mole, Idris Elba as The Fox, Gabriel Byrne as The Horse and newcomer Jude Coward Nicoll as The Boy.
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