Lily Gladstone’s Oscars are over, but her influence lives on

Lily Gladstone’s dress at the Oscars was a collaboration between Gucci and Ironhorse Quillwork.

Emma McIntyre/Getty Images

The Lily Gladstone Awards continue Moonflower Killers It was historic, as the performer racked up one feat after another: the first Indigenous Golden Globe and SAG Award winner and the first Native American Oscar nominee.

Although the votes were not enough to secure her the final preference – Bad thingsEmma Stone won the Academy Award for Best Actress — and Gladstone’s influence will continue to spread throughout the industry, say original community members.

Spirit Rangers Writer Joey Clift was at a viewing party with other local creatives on Sunday night. “Seeing a traditional Osage band perform a song, having it included in the conversation, being honored by this industry that hasn’t honored us in this way for 100 years, it feels like anything is possible,” he says. “I had this feeling for the first time of being allowed into the room in a real way.”

Television writer Lucas Brown Eyes (Young and hungry, Alexa and Katie) Approves. “Every Indigenous person I know was so excited. They were watching with their kids. It was like landing on the moon, having someone on that platform receiving an award that the industry agreed they had earned.” “When an Indigenous project is done, usually It is through a lot of hard work by a few people, not through the industry saying “of course” and opening its doors. The question was: “Oh, this is what support looks like?”

Gladstone’s name continued to trend on social media the day after the Academy Awards with disappointment over her loss of the Oscar and recognition for her performances on and off screen. “Every step of the way, she made a point of supporting other Indigenous creatives, shouting out Indigenous comedians she would like to work with in big interviews,” Clift says, adding that Gladstone has not only engaged in “high-level advocacy” through legacy outlets like Hollywood Reporter And Vanity gallery But you’ve also taken time to sit down with Native-run podcasts and radio shows, like A Tribe Called Geek’s Bedouin. “She has really used her platform to build excitement about her candidacy, not only for her career, but for millions in the community.”

Gladstone herself has only posted once on social media since the Oscars — a few hours after the ceremony ended He responded to a fan asking about her outfit only to notice that the appliqué on her Gucci dress was done by Joe Big Mountain of Ironhorse Quillwork.

“All these Indigenous designers who had their moments on the red carpet (during the Gladstone Awards) — that’s what we do. We look to our left and right as Indigenous people and we work with each other,” says actress and writer Jana Schmieding.Rutherford Falls, Reservation dogs, High reproducibility). “Bringing these lesser-known artists and designers into a space that is so widely watched is truly a gift to everyone. Seeing Lily carry out the entire awards season with such grace, class, humor, and dignity, there was absolutely not a single mistake. No notes!”

Clift adds that the Gladstone Awards campaign’s decisions have added impact because of the precedent they set for future contenders from their community. “We don’t necessarily have a ‘here’s how to act on the red carpet’ track, so it’s great to see people like Lily Gladstone, (Reservation dogs creator Sterlin Harjo) and many of the original creators who knocked this out of the park and hopefully also leave a good example of not only how to work in the entertainment industry but also how to empower people.

Much of the disappointment over Gladstone’s loss was related to the fact that opportunities for Aboriginal people to reach Oscar-sniffing range are so rare as to be almost non-existent. Not only is she the first Native American to be nominated for an acting Oscar, but few have been cast in roles substantial enough to qualify for any awards: before Moonflower Killersthere was only one major Native American character among the top 1,600 theatrical releases of the past 16 years, according to a summary of Annenberg Inclusion Initiative research.

“A lot of times when (someone loses an award) people say, ‘It’s OK, they’ll have another chance,’” Brown Eyes says. “But there wasn’t another opportunity like this (for Native Americans), and that’s why it was disappointing. If you look at most actors, they do a lot of films, and every now and then they get nominated. Would it take an original actor to have five amazing roles to be nominated? This is unheard of. When you get from zero to one or two movies a year with Natives in, that person would have to get every single role for a decade.

In contrast, 15 white women have won Best Actress more than once, including this year’s winner, who has been nominated five times.

“Hurt is more representative of where we are because we know this was lightning in a bottle — not just the performance and the opportunity to be in a role, but the support that (Gladstone) had,” Brown Eyes continues.

However, many of the original creators say the Gladstone Awards season has served as a powerful inspiration to the community. “It’s unfortunate that the Oscars didn’t honor Lily Gladstone last night, but every Hollywood native is ready to write the script that gets her an Oscar,” Clift says, adding that the actress is also already set to star in Charlie. Kaufman movie. “It is amazing to see Indigenous people, both children and adults, who have not yet been involved in the industry and who now have the motivation to pick up a pen or a camera.”

Schmieding agrees with the optimistic outlook. “Now that this is clear, I think people are aware of the value of telling original stories,” she says, referring to something Ava DuVernay once shared with her. “She said she didn’t want black media to be seen as having a renaissance because that would mean it would end. I really take that seriously and I think that’s where we are as well. This is not a renaissance. We have made our progress and now we have the leadership and strength in the industry to continue.