‘Piano Lesson’ Premiere in Toronto a Family Affair for Denzel 

(L-R) Producer Denzel Washington, Pauletta Washington, executive producer Kate Washington, actress Danielle Deadwyler, director Malcolm Washington and actor John David Washington attend the international premiere of "The Piano Lesson" at the Princess of Wales theatre during the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, on September 10, 2024. (AFP)
(L-R) Producer Denzel Washington, Pauletta Washington, executive producer Kate Washington, actress Danielle Deadwyler, director Malcolm Washington and actor John David Washington attend the international premiere of "The Piano Lesson" at the Princess of Wales theatre during the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, on September 10, 2024. (AFP)
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‘Piano Lesson’ Premiere in Toronto a Family Affair for Denzel 

(L-R) Producer Denzel Washington, Pauletta Washington, executive producer Kate Washington, actress Danielle Deadwyler, director Malcolm Washington and actor John David Washington attend the international premiere of "The Piano Lesson" at the Princess of Wales theatre during the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, on September 10, 2024. (AFP)
(L-R) Producer Denzel Washington, Pauletta Washington, executive producer Kate Washington, actress Danielle Deadwyler, director Malcolm Washington and actor John David Washington attend the international premiere of "The Piano Lesson" at the Princess of Wales theatre during the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, on September 10, 2024. (AFP)

Denzel Washington and his family celebrated the screening in Toronto of Oscar hopeful "The Piano Lesson," the latest Hollywood adaptation of an August Wilson play in which the entire clan was involved.

Washington's son Malcolm makes his feature directorial debut and elder son John David stars in the movie, which tells the story of a family struggling to make peace with its past and confront the legacy of slavery.

Washington himself is a producer of the film, wife Pauletta and daughter Olivia have small roles, and daughter Katia is an executive producer.

"I'm happy, a proud father," Washington said in a Q&A session after the screening.

For 33-year-old Malcolm, who received a warm ovation at the film's conclusion, "this was such a beautiful time for us all to come together, but it became something much bigger than our own family."

"This is a story of ancestry, of lineage, and dealing with the August Wilson canon at all, you're tying yourself into a much larger lineage there."

"The Piano Lesson," written in 1987 and set in the 1930s, is part of Wilson's so-called "Pittsburgh Cycle," a series of 10 plays that aimed to explore the African American experience in the 20th century.

It debuted at the Telluride festival in Colorado before making its way over the border for a splashy international premiere in Canada's largest city. The film will stream on Netflix on November 22.

At the center of the story is an heirloom piano, hand-carved with images of their ancestors and imbued with the family's difficult history.

John David Washington, 40, plays Boy Willie, who wants to sell the instrument to buy land and get ahead, while sister Berniece (Danielle Deadwyler) insists that they keep it.

The two actors turn in electrifying performances as they duel over the fate of the piano, while confronting issues of race, spirituality and acceptance of the past.

Deadwyler, who many believe was snubbed for an Oscar nomination for her performance in "Till" (2022), is on nearly every expert's shortlist for a best supporting actress nod this time around, according to awards prediction site Gold Derby.

The film is adapted specifically from a recent Broadway revival of Wilson's play, and retains much of the same cast, including Samuel L. Jackson as the de facto patriarch.

Denzel Washington is no stranger to Wilson's work; this is the third of his plays that he has helped bring to the big screen.

The Oscar winner directed and starred in "Fences" (2016), for which Viola Davis won an Academy Award, and then produced "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom," which took home two golden statuettes.

The Toronto International Film Festival runs through Sunday.



The Oscar Nominations are Being Announced. Here's Who's Nominated So Far

This image released by Netflix shows Karla Sofia Gascon as Emilia Perez in a scene from "Emilia Perez." (Shanna Besson/Netflix via AP)
This image released by Netflix shows Karla Sofia Gascon as Emilia Perez in a scene from "Emilia Perez." (Shanna Besson/Netflix via AP)
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The Oscar Nominations are Being Announced. Here's Who's Nominated So Far

This image released by Netflix shows Karla Sofia Gascon as Emilia Perez in a scene from "Emilia Perez." (Shanna Besson/Netflix via AP)
This image released by Netflix shows Karla Sofia Gascon as Emilia Perez in a scene from "Emilia Perez." (Shanna Besson/Netflix via AP)

In the wake of devastating wildfires in Los Angeles that struck at the heart of the movie industry, the nominations to the 97th Academy Awards are being announced.

The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences began announcing the nominations Thursday at 8:30am Eastern via a wide array of platforms, including on Oscar.com, Oscars.org, the academy's social network sites, ABC's “Good Morning America,” as well as on Disney+ and Hulu. Bowen Yang and Rachel Sennott are reading the nominees.

The nominees for best supporting actor are: Yura Borisov, “Anora”; Kieran Culkin, “A Real Pain”; Edward Norton, “A Complete Unknown”; Guy Pearce, “The Brutalist”; Jeremy Strong, “The Apprentice.”

The nominees for Best Supporting Actress are: Monica Barbaro, “A Complete Unknown”; Felicity Jones, “The Brutalist”; Ariana Grande, “Wicked”; Isabella Rossellini, “Conclave”; Zoe Saldaña, “Emilia Pérez.”

The nominees for original screenplay are: “Anora”; “The Brutalist”; “A Real Pain”; “September 5”; “The Substance.”

“This has certainly been a difficult time for Los Angeles, where many members of our film community industry work and live. But the last several weeks have proven what we already know to be true: our film industry and Los Angeles are resilient, and for almost a century, the Oscars have brought us together to unite and celebrate our global film community,” Janet Yang, the academy's president, said before nominees were announced.

The nominations had originally been planned for Jan. 17. But after wildfires on Jan. 7 began burning through the Pacific Palisades, Altadena and other areas around Los Angeles, leaving behind historic levels of destruction, the academy extended its voting window and twice postponed the nominations announcement.

With so many in the film industry reeling from the fires, some called on the academy to cancel the Oscars altogether. Academy leaders have argued the March 2 ceremony must go ahead, for their economic impact on Los Angeles and as a symbol of resilience for the industry. Organizers have vowed this year's awards will “celebrate the work that unites us as a global film community and acknowledge those who fought so bravely against the wildfires.”

“We will reflect on the recent events while highlighting the strength, creativity, and optimism that defines Los Angeles and our industry,” Bill Kramer, academy chief executive, and Yang said in an email to members Wednesday.

But much of the usual frothiness Hollywood's award season has been severely curtailed due to the fires, which continue to burn. The film academy canceled its annual nominees luncheon. Other events have been postponed or downsized. On Wednesday, Kramer and Yang said original song nominees won't be performed this year. Conan O'Brien, whose Pacific Palisades home was spared by the fires, is hosting.

Here are some of the things to look for going into Thursday's nominations:

How wide open is it? Usually by this time, one or two movies have emerged as the clear favorites for best picture. Not so this year. Four films have been nominated for the top award from the Producers Guild, the Directors Guild and the Screen Actors Guild: “Anora,” “Conclave,” “Emilia Pérez” and “A Complete Unknown.”

They are likely to be joined Thursday by Golden Globe-winner “The Brutalist,” the musical blockbuster “Wicked” and the sci-fi sequel “Dune: Part Two.” In the category's 10 films, that leaves slots expected for “A Real Pain” and “The Substance.” The last spot could go to the prison drama “Sing Sing,” the journalism drama “September 5” or the POV-shot “Nickel Boys.”

Of them all, Netflix's contender “Emilia Pérez” could land the most nominations of all, and, possibly, set a new high mark for non-English language films.

Who gets left out in best actress? As is often the case, best actress is extremely competitive. Most prognosticators expect nominations for Demi Moore ("The Substance"), Cynthia Erivo ("Wicked"), Mikey Madison ("Anora") and Karla Sofía Gascón (“Emilia Pérez”). Who gets the fifth slot could go to Fernanda Torres (“I’m Still Here"), Marianne Jean-Baptiste (“Hard Truths”) or Pamela Anderson ("The Last Showgirl”). And that still leaves out Nicole Kidman (“Babygirl”) and Angelina Jolie (“Maria”).

Who could make history? Gascón, the star of Jacques Audiard's “Emilia Pérez," is poised to become the first openly transgender actor nominated for an Oscar. Gascón, who plays both a male drug lord in the film and the woman she becomes, has spoken both passionately and sanguinely about the possibility of making Oscar history at a time with trans rights are imperiled.

“If it does happen, I would be so grateful,” Gascón said last fall. “It would be a beautiful thing. But if it doesn’t, whatever. I’d go back to my old life. I’ll do my grocery shopping. I’ll play with cats. I’ll see my family. Maybe I’ll do other jobs and people will like those jobs.”

With Trump now in office, will ‘The Apprentice’ be nominated? Yes.

One of 2024's most audacious films, “The Apprentice,” dramatized the formative years of President Donald Trump' s emergence in New York real estate under the tutelage of attorney Roy Cohn. Both Sebastian Stan (who plays Trump) and Jeremy Strong (Cohn) were borderline contenders for best actor and best supporting actor, respectively. Trump has called those involved with the film “human scum.”

Strong was nominated for best supporting actor Thursday morning.

Will best director be all male again? For most of Oscar history, the best director category has been all male. That's changed somewhat in recent years, with wins by Jane Campion ("The Power of the Dog") and Chloé Zhao ("Nomadland"). But this year may see another all-male group of Audiard ("Emilia Pérez"), Sean Baker (“Anora”), Edward Berger ("Conclave"), Brady Corbet ("The Brutalist") and James Mangold ("A Complete Unknown").

The two most likely female contenders are Payal Kapadia (“All We Imagine as Light”) and Coralie Fargeat (“The Substance”). Also in the mix are a pair of big-budget filmmakers in Jon M. Chu (“Wicked”) and Denis Villeneuve (“Dune: Part Two”).