Oscar buzz for Kenya: Hollywood’s new it-girl is none other than….

Shuga-famed Kenyan actress

 Lupita Nyong’o. (Fun fact: daughter of Senator Anyang’ Nyong’o) Here she is at the TIFF premiere of her movie 12 Years A Slave. 

12 Years A Slave debuted at Telluride Film Festival to amazing reviews. At TIFF it’s already presumed to win Best Film. It’s being compared to holocaust film Schindler’s List, said to put “Django Unchained” to shame….. And, last year, the film that had a trajectory similar to this, Ben Affleck’s Argo, went on to win the Academy Award for Best Film. 

Darren Aronofsky tweeted an image of Brad Pitt (yes, Brad Pitt) and Nyong’o , and he had this to say  

What can I say. We’ve always known she was talented, eloquent,  beautiful, statuesque and now she is ALREADY receiving international Oscar buzz with her Hollywood acting debut (she’s been involved before in production). Lupita, you deserve it. Here’s hoping you get nom-d, and you win.

(SIDENOTE: Is anyone else over the inundation of big budget slave films? The Help, Django, 12 Years A Slave, The Butler…… Is there no other strong figure but Mandela to centre a black movie on? I’d watch a movie on Dedan Kimathi, Kwame Nkrumah, Marcus Garvey, Alexandre Dumas….. Or maybe I should just watch the History Channel more.)

Anyway, she’s got this in the bag. (Kenyans don’t come second: Wangari Maathai, POTUS Obama, Dillish….) Best of luck Lupita!!!

#Oscars2014 #SolidarityIsForLupita