The faith-based film Breakthrough and two other faith-centric films received Oscar nominations Monday – a rare feat for a genre that rarely achieves mainstream attention.
Breakthrough (PG) was nominated for Best Original Song for I’m Standing With You, which was written by Diane Warren and sung by Chrissy Metz, who also starred in the film.
Two other faith-centric movies – Harriet (PG-13) and A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood (PG) – also got Oscar nominations.
Harriet received two nominations: Best Original Song (Stand Up, by Joshuah Brian Campbell and Cynthia Erivo) and Best Actress (Erivo). Erivo played the lead role of Harriet Tubman.
Tom Hanks was nominated for Best Supporting Actor for his role as Fred Rogers in A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood.
Although A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood and Harriet aren’t categorized as Christian films on some movie websites, both were marketed to Christian audiences. Breakthrough, on the other hand, was considered a faith-based film by most Hollywood websites.
Among the Top 10 grossing Christian movies of all time listed by Entertainment Weekly, only one – 2004’s The Passion of the Christ – received an Oscar nomination.
On Monday, the cast and crew of Breakthrough celebrated the Oscar nomination on social media. It was Warren’s 11th Oscar nomination. Devon Franklin produced the movie.
“Congratulations, @warren_diane on your 11th Oscar Nomination for Best Song!” Metz wrote on Instagram. “Thank you, @devonfranklin for putting us together and making dreams come true! And a HUGE thank you to @theacademy for this incredible honor!”
Congratulations, warren_diane on your 11th Oscar Nomination for Best Song! 🎉
Thank you, @devonfranklin for putting us together and making dreams come true! And a HUGE thank you to theacademy for this incredible… https://t.co/xN2p3shZYc— Chrissy Metz (@ChrissyMetz) January 13, 2020
Franklin wrote on Twitter, “@breakthroughmovie got an Oscar nomination!!! For best song for ‘I’m Standing With You!’ Huge congrats to the one and only warren_diane”
breakthroughmovie got an Oscar nomination!!! For best song for “I’m Standing With You!” Huge congrats to the one and only warren_diane 🔥🔥🔥🔥and @chrissymetz 🔥🔥🔥🔥🙌🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾 #breakthroughmovie https://t.co/8E0Xz0Tgos
— DeVon Franklin (@DeVonFranklin) January 13, 2020
Breakthrough is based on the true story of a teenage boy who is presumed dead after he falls through an icy pond and doesn’t breathe for 45 minutes. His heart starts beating again after his mother begins praying.
Michael Foust is a freelance writer. Visit his blog, MichaelFoust.com.
Photo courtesy: ©20th Century Fox
Michael Foust has covered the intersection of faith and news for 20 years. His stories have appeared in Baptist Press, Christianity Today, The Christian Post, The Leaf-Chronicle, the Toronto Star and the Knoxville News-Sentinel.
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