"Thank you Academy Awards for honoring my dad in this film"- Venus Williams on King Richard's 6 Oscar nominations
Venus Williams recently took to Instagram to express her delight at the film King Richard earning six nominations at the 94th Academy Awards. The film is a biopic on Venus and Serena Williams' father, Richard Williams, and highlights his efforts in nurturing two of the greatest players in the sport.
King Richard, directed by Reinaldo Marcus Green, hit theaters in the US on November 19 last year to much critical accalim. It now stands a chance to be adjudged the Best Film at the Oscars, scheduled to be held on 27 March.
The film secured nominations in five other leading categories as well. Will Smith, who plays the titular role, was nominated for Best Actor, while Aunjanue Ellis earned a nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her portrayal of Oracene Price, the mother of the Williams sisters.
The film is also in the running to win Best Original Screenplay and Best Film Editing awards. Renowned singer Beyonce, whose track Be Alive featured in the film, earned her first Oscar nomination for Best Original Song .
This is a moment we won’t forget. Our #KingRichard family has been nominated by the @TheAcademy for 6 awards including Best Picture, Best Original Screenplay, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actress, Best Film Editing, and Best Original Song. https://t.co/ZFb6x44Pov
In her message, Venus Williams expressed her gratitude to the Academy of Motion Pictures for honoring King Richard and the collective effort of her and her family in the making of the film.
"Our film King Richard has been nominated for six Academy awards including Best Picture," Venus Williams said. "So thank you Academy awards for including us and honoring my dad in this film, in this piece of work we've worked on as a family."
The seven-time Grand Slam champion has also launched a King Richard-inspired collection for her clothing line, Eleven.
"To celebrate I had to wear today some pieces from our King Richard collection from my activewear collection Eleven and yes we are celebrating all day. Thank you," Venus Williams added.
"Honored to see this outpouring of love for our film"- Will Smith, who portrays Venus Williams' father in King Richard
King Richard's protagonist and co-producer Will Smith also took to Instagram to congratulate his fellow cast and crew members on bagging Oscar nominations.
"WOW!! 6 Oscar noms for #kingrichard.. that’s CRAZY. Honored to see this outpouring of love for our film :-) Proud of you Aunjanue, Zach, Pamela, Dixson, Beyoncé and our fantastic cast and crew. Great work all!," Will Smith wrote on Instagram.
Serena Williams was quick to comment on Smith's post.
"So excited", Williams wrote.