Despite garnering
only one nomination at the Golden Globes, Milk swept
up eight nominations for the upcoming Academy Awards.
Milk will go up against several other films in
categories including Best Picture, Best Actor in
leading and supporting roles for Sean Penn and Josh Brolin,
and Best Director for Gus Van Sant.
Dustin Lance
Black, who was selected as one of Outmagazine's Out 100 and one of The
Advocate's People of the Year for 2008, scored his
first nomination, for Best Original Screenplay. In
past interviews Black has credited learning about Milk
with helping him to come out.
Milk tells the story of the rise and
unfortunate death of LGBT rights pioneer and San Francisco
politician Harvey Milk.
The film took on
a deeper meaning upon its release. On the heels of the
passing of Prop. 8 in California, gay audiences turned to
the film as a source of inspiration to keep the fight
for equality alive.
"Today's Best
Actor nomination for Sean Penn is so richly deserved,"
Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation president Neil
Giuliano said in a statement. "His groundbreaking
performance gave audiences the opportunity to get to
know Harvey Milk's conviction, passion, and the
indelible influence he had on our movement and our
community." (Advocate.com)
