This year, several global voices are included in the GLAAD Media Awards nominees. These nominees bring visibility and understanding to the challenges and triumphs of LGBTQ people across the globe.
The Handmaiden (Amazon Studios/Magnolia Pictures), directed by Park Chan-Wook, is nominated for Outstanding Film – Limited Release. Inspired by the novel Fingersmith, Sook-hee, a young Korean woman, is hired to serve as the maid for an isolated young Japanese woman named Hideko, but it turns out that Sook-hee is secretly plotting to steal Hideko’s inheritance.
The five-part original series London Spy by novelist Tom Rob Smith, is nominated for Outstanding TV Movie or Limited Series. It tells the story of Danny (Ben Whishaw), who leaves his world of clubbing and youthful excess behind when his investment banker boyfriend Alex (Edward Holcroft) disappears. Danny finds himself drawn into the dangerous world of espionage as he works to uncover the truth about what really happened to Alex.
Also nominated in the Outstanding TV Movie or Limited Series category is the hour-long special Vicious: The Finale. The special charted a year in the life of Freddie (Ian McKellen) and Stuart (Derek Jacobi) an older gay couple.
The documentary Out Of Iraq earned a nomination in the Outstanding Documentary. The feature follows the love story between Nayyef, a translator who served in Iraq in 2004, and B'too, an Iraqi soldier. The two were separated when Nayyef was forced to flee the country in 2009 and the men then fought for their relationship to be recognized legally in a place where they could be together.
Gaycation with Ellen Page was nominated in the Outstanding Reality Program category. As its co-executive producer and creator, Academy Award-nominated actor Ellen Page guides us through LGBTQ cultures around the world…often risking her life, and that of her best friend Ian Daniel. There really has been nothing like it on television. Gaycation with Ellen Page has taken us from Ukraine and the tragedy of Orlando, to a life-threatening trip to Brazil. Gaycation also received an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Unstructured Reality Program.
Vice Magazine was nominated for Outstanding Magazine Article for "On the Run" by Jacob Kushner. The article explores how Uganda's infamous anti-gay law forced hundreds of LGBTQ people to flee to Kenya, a country nearly as inhospitable as their home. It questions what the UN can do to protect them?
BuzzFeed News earned a nomination in the Outstanding Digital Journalism Article category for "These are the Queer Refugees Australia has Locked Up on a Remote Pacific Island" by J. Lester Feder. Feder interviewed a 28-year-old bisexual Iranian who fled his family’s efforts to kill him in Iran. He had hoped Australia would protect him as a refugee. Instead, the country sent him to a place that feels just as dangerous.
Broadly.Vice also earned a nomination for Outstanding Digital Journalism Article for "The Uncertain Olympic Future for Trans and Intersex Athletes" by Diana Tourjee. The article highlights the participation of transgender and intersex athletes in elite sporting competitions, including the Olympic Games.
For a complete list of nominees, click here
The GLAAD Media Awards recognize and honor media for their fair, accurate and inclusive representations of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer community and the issues that affect their lives. The GLAAD Media Awards also fund GLAAD's work to amplify stories from the LGBTQ community and issues that build support for equality and acceptance.
The GLAAD Media Awards ceremonies will be held in Los Angeles on April 1, 2017 at The Beverly Hilton and in New York on May 6 at the New York Hilton Midtown. Find out how you can buy tickets or host a table here.
To receive the latest updates on the GLAAD Media Awards, follow @glaad on Twitter and use the hashtag #glaadawards.
