Historic Oscar year raises hopes for inclusion, but former ABC screenwriter urges deeper change
PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- As films like Sinners dominate this year's awards season conversation, and performers such as Teyana Taylor step into the spotlight, female artists and people of color are seeing unprecedented recognition on Hollywood's biggest stage.
But one former ABC screenwriter and University of Pennsylvania alum says the moment raises a larger question: Is this a rewrite - or just a retouch?
Screenwriter Nikita Hamilton, who has worked on Disney's The Bold Type and ABC's A Million Little Things, said the success of Sinners represents a milestone.
"Sinners means so much because it's like, OK, when was the last time that we had a Black writer, director, cast... you know, getting recognized in this way for such beautiful work," she said.
The film is breaking records with 16 nominations, including 10 for Black artists - tying the all-time record for the most Black nominees from a single movie.
Teyana Taylor is among those recognized, earning a nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her role in One Battle After Another. Hamilton said the character uses "her sexuality as armor," adding, "There's a little bit of touching on, I would say, like, the Jezebel stereotype there. So... do I love that aspect of it? No, but do I think that Tiana Taylor gave us a fantastic performance with what she was given to work with? Absolutely."
A study by USC Annenberg shows that in nearly 97 years of the Academy Awards, only six percent of nominees have been people of color, and less than two percent have been women of color.
Hamilton said that while this year's nominations mark progress, systemic change requires more than recognition.
"You need people there who believe that stories of Black people, Latino people... all these different races and ethnicities deserve to be told," she said. "And to have their stories funded because it doesn't just start at the theater. Like, there's so many things that happen before a project even gets greenlit."
She added, "What I could hope is that people in the Academy are thinking about this."
This year also saw filmmaker Chloé Zhao become only the second woman ever to earn multiple Best Director nominations. She previously won the category in 2021 for Nomadland.
Overall, the 2026 nominations set a record for diversity among women, people of color and international films - a milestone Hamilton says should be celebrated, even as the industry continues to push for deeper, lasting change.
