Young Ghanaian actor, Abraham Attah’s meteoric rise in the global cinema circles continues, after being named among the 17 carefully selected presenters for the upcoming Oscars ceremony on February 28.
Attah rose to fame for his compelling role as a child soldier, Agu, in the movie ‘Beast of No Nation’ but he did not score himself an Oscar nomination despite his widely acclaimed performance.
He has however been invited to take part in the 88th Academy Awards and he will join A-list entertainers like Michael B. Jordan, Cate Blanchett, Emily Blunt, Russell Crowe, Chris Evans, Jennifer Garner, Louis Gossett, Jr., Rachel McAdams, Dev Patel and Sofia Vergara who will also be presenting awards at the ceremony.
They will join previously announced presenters that include Quincy Jones, Whoopi Goldberg, Steve Carell, Jared Leto, Julianne Moore, Olivia Munn, Margot Robbie, Jason Segel and Andy Serkis.
The 2016 Oscars has been enveloped in a diversity row for what critics say is the total neglect of black and other minority actors from the top categories hence the #OscarsSoWhite trend on twitter for several weeks.
More critics also claim the selection of minority actors like Attah to present awards on the day is just an attempt by the embattled Academy to save face.
One thing is for sure, this kind of exposure for Attah will only add to his rising profile.
The Breakthrough
Attah’s breakthrough year saw him win the prestigious Venice International Film Festival’s Marcello Mastroianni Best Young Actor Award, the National Board of Review Award for Best Breakthrough Performance and the Black Film Critics Rising Star Award.
He also picked up nominations at the Ghana Movie Awards, NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture, the Independent Spirit Award for Best Male Lead and the Critics’ Choice Movie Award for Best Young Performer.
More important for Attah however is the fact that he has secured himself another film role via American director Shane Carruth’s adventure film, “The Modern Ocean” where he will be starring opposite Anne Hathaway, Keanu Reeves, Daniel Radcliffe, Chloe Grace Moretz, Tom Holland, Asa Butterfield and Jeff Goldblum.
He will also star in a short film titled “Out of the Village,” by a first time director called Jonathan Stein.
–
By Delali Adogla-Bessa/citifmonline.com/Ghana