On the eve of #OscarsSoWhite, diversity took center stage at the 2016 Film Independent Spirit Awards in Santa Monica, where three of the four acting awards tonight went to actors of color.
15-year-old Ghanaian newcomer Abraham Attah was awarded Best Male Lead for his portrayal of the child soldier Agu in Beasts Of No Nation–his first acting gig ever. Attah’s co-star, Idris Elba, was named Best Supporting Male. Beasts was also nominated for Best Feature as well as Best Director (Cary Fukunaga), though it lost to Oscar favorite Spotlight in both categories.
Elba, who also won a Screen Actors Guild Award for his performance as the brutal Commandant, brought his teenage co-star up to accept the honor with him.
Elba also answered some questions in the press room. “I’m half Ghanaian, it was my first time in Ghana. It was incredible, it was like a homecoming for me,” he said on what it was like to shoot in Accra.