Ruth Carter of Springfield wins Oscar for ‘Black Panther’ costume designs
Ruth Carter of Springfield wins Oscar for ‘Black Panther’ costume designs
Ruth E. Carter accepts the Academy Award for Best Costume Design for "Black Panther" at the Oscars on Sunday, Feb. 24, 2019, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP) (Chris Pizzello)
Ruth E. Carter, who cut her teeth as a costume designer 30 years ago on the Spike Lee films “School Daze” and “Do the Right Thing,” was honored with an Academy Award on Sunday for the Afro-futuristic wardrobe she created for the Marvel/Disney blockbuster “Black Panther.”
The win by the 58-year old Springfield native, who graduated from Technical High School and apprenticed at the former StageWest, was greeted with thunderous applause during the 91st Oscars telecast from the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.
“Wow! This has been a long time coming,” Carter said in her acceptance speech. “Spike Lee, thank you for my start. I hope this makes you proud.”
She added, “This is for my 97-year-old mother watching in Massachusetts. Mom, thank your for teaching me about people and their stories — you are the original superhero.”
Carter also thanked her crew, “Black Panther” director Ryan Coogler, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige and Walt Disney CEO Robert Iger.
“Marvel may have created the first black superhero, but through costume design, we turned him into an African king,” Carter said. “It’s been my life’s honor to create costumes. Thank you to the Academy, and thank you for honoring African royalty and the empowered way women can look and lead on screen.”
Carter, who has designed costumes for such films as “Malcolm X,” ‘’Amistad” and “Selma,” is the first African-American to win an Academy Award for Best Costume Design. She had been nominated twice before.
In winning for “Black Panther,” Carter beat out the designers of "Ballad of Buster Scruggs," "The Favourite," "Mary Poppins Returns" and "Mary Queen of Scots."
Last week, Carter received a career achievement honor from her peers at the 21st annual Costume Designers Guild Awards. She was also honored by the guild for her “Black Panther” designs.
The first Academy Award for Best Costume Design was given out 70 years ago.
Comments
Post a Comment