Critically Acclaimed “Beasts” Nominated for Four Academy Awards

Beasts of the Southern Wild, the masterpiece by Benh Zeitlin ’04, just scored four Academy Award nominations this morning, including Best Picture, Best Director (Zeitlin), Best Adapted Screenplay (Zeitlin and Lucy Alibar), and Best Actress (Quevenzhané Wallis).

Wallis, just five years old during filming and now age nine, is the youngest person ever to receive an Oscar nod for Best Actress; the old “record” was held by Keisha Castle-Hughes, who was nominated for Whale Rider in 2004 at the age of thirteen. Following her Beasts success, Wallis has been cast in the film Twelve Years A Slave, which also stars Hollywood heavyweights Brad Pitt and Paul Giamatti.

In addition to his Oscar nods, director and writer Zeitlin has won a slew of prestigious film prizes at several film festivals, including Sundance and Cannes. The film has received universal acclaim, even catching the eyes of President Barack Obama and Oprah Winfrey, who proclaimed Beasts was one of the best films of the year. Zeitlin and one of the film’s producers, Dan Janvey ’06, also made the trek to Wesleyan this past semester to discuss the film, which was screened during the Wesleyan Film Series.

All I can say is, cue the brag-heavy Facebook statuses and tweets:

Waiting for the dentist while watching Benh Zeitlin get nominated for multiple Oscars. #WesMafia @wesleying

— The ‘Cac (@inthecac) January 10, 2013

@wesleying Happy to see that the breathtaking Beasts of the Southern Wild received, approximately, a metric ton of Oscar nominations.

— Gabe Rosenberg (@GabrielJR) January 10, 2013

@wesleying maybe I’d be a more successful screenwriter if I added an “H” to “Ben”

— Ben Fur Key (@NerveCenterCT) January 10, 2013

Zeitlin but no Bigelow; my feminism and school pride are battling it out on this one. #oscarnoms

— Cicily Clare Gruber (@cicilyclare) January 10, 2013

i love all the Wesleyan students cheering for beasts of the southern wild as if they themselves were involved in making it

— Ben Fur Key (@NerveCenterCT) January 10, 2013

(says the man who refers to his favorite soccer team as “we” as if they’re waiting to call me up at any time to play right back)

— Ben Fur Key (@NerveCenterCT) January 10, 2013

I met Benh Zeitlin once, in the bathroom line at Goldsmith. Jeanine Basinger was there too.

— Mita (@mitatweets) January 10, 2013

Congratulations Benh Zeitlin ’04 (and all the Wes alumns who worked on the film) for “Beasts of the Southern Wild” Oscar nominations

— PYXIS (@pyxiswes) January 10, 2013

The fact that Beasts of the Southern Wild is a product of Wesleyan kids makes me too proud for words. Clearly not too proud for tweets tho

— adj (@pikafro) January 10, 2013

Congrats “Beasts of the Southern Wild” for Oscar nominations. #Wesleyan pride.

— Lydia Tomkiw (@lydiatomkiw) January 10, 2013

Go Beasts! via @slashfilm Major Academy Award noms for Beasts of the Southern Wild, Lincoln, Silver Linings Playbook goo.gl/AZwSH

— Wesleyan University (@wesleyan_u) January 10, 2013

Oscar-nominated @beaststhemovie features the talents of several Wesleyan University grads.

— Culture Cache (@CultureCacheCT) January 10, 2013