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Oscar Predictions: Best Casting — ‘Being Heumann’ and ‘La Bola Negra’ Found the Year’s Boldest Discoveries. Will the Academy Reward Them?
Oscar predictions highlight *Being Heumann* and *La Bola Negra* as leading contenders for the Academy’s second Best Casting award. The article argues that the category should recognise bold casting discoveries, rather than simply reward the most prominent ensemble in a Best Picture frontrunner.
Siân Heder’s *Being Heumann* features more than 20 disabled actors, many with little or no acting experience, around Ruth Madeley as disability rights activist Judy Heumann. In *La Bola Negra*, casting directors Eva Leira and Yolanda Serrano brought newcomers, including singer Guitarricadelafuente in his acting debut, together with established performers such as Penélope Cruz and Glenn Close; Oscar shortlists are due on 15 December.
In short
- *Being Heumann* features more than 20 disabled actors.
- *La Bola Negra* pairs newcomers with Penélope Cruz and Glenn Close.
- Both films are tipped as bold Best Casting contenders.
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
The award can recognise casting as a creative achievement in its own right, especially when a film gives performers rarely seen on screen meaningful roles. Honouring Being Heumann’s many disabled actors and La Bola Negra’s mix of newcomers and established performers could encourage more adventurous, representative casting.
The case against
The category could also reward the ensemble whose casting most serves the film as a whole, rather than favouring novelty or representation as ends in themselves. Voters may reasonably judge the performances, the coherence of the ensemble and the difficulty of assembling it, wherever those strengths appear, including in a prominent Best Picture contender.
Explained simply
The Academy Awards are annual film prizes voted for by members of the film industry. Best Casting is a new award recognising the work of finding and bringing together a film’s actors, including performers who may be new to screen acting.
Casting can shape whose lives and experiences appear on screen. Judy Heumann was a US disability rights activist who campaigned for equal access and rights; films about real people may also bring first-time actors together with established performers. The award puts attention on casting choices as well as the finished ensemble.