LGBT nominations for 2013 Oscars

Tony Kushner who devised Angels in America for HBO a decade ago has been nominated for his latest movie, Lincoln. With Angels in America the political-themed mini-series looked at the AIDS epidemic of the eighties starting the story in 1985.

Another documentary that focuses on HIV and AIDS, and has already won four other gongs including one from the New York Film Critics Circle, is How to Survive a Plague. The movie tells the story of two coalitions Act Up and the Treatment Action Group.  Their activism and innovation turned AIDS from a death sentence into a manageable condition.

A treasure trove of never-before-seen archival footage from the 1980s and ’90s by filmmaker David France tells of the struggles, failures and triumphs of the organisations along with the late activist Spencer Cox who co-founded Treatment Action Group and was a high profile spokesperson for Act Up. Cox was diagnosed with HIV soon after leaving college, he died in December last year aged just 44.

Other notable LGBT personalities nominated for the 2012 Oscars include gay rights advocates Anne Hathaway for Les Miserables, Philip Seymour Hoffman for The Master and Sally Field in Lincoln. Gay director Chris Butler is also nominated for ParaNorman in the Best Animated Feature.

The Oscars are taking place on the 24th February.

[Reported by Neil Lang]