Mya Taylor in Tangerine
Caitlyn Jenner is set to host a screening of Tangerine for the members of the Academy on Jan 4. The goal? To get a Oscar best supporting actress nomination for breakout star Mya Taylor (any other Oscar nominations for the film would also be welcome). The event also includes Sean Baker, the director of the movie, and Mya Taylor herself, in what would presumably be a Q&A session. Sure, it's a bit of a long shot. But you never know! If the Academy does nominate Mya, she will be the first openly trans actress to score an Oscar nomination!
In the comedy Tangerine, Mya plays Alexandra, the best friend of Sin-Dee, who was just released from prison. And together they try to get to the bottom of some cheating rumors about Sin-Dee's boyfriend! The movie was shot entirely on iPhones, is highly acclaimed (85 on Metacritic, 96% on RottenTomatoes) and has already been nominated for and won a slew of awards.
Such screening events are common during Oscar season. And they're often hosted by someone who isn't directly connected to the film originally (such as a movie critic, another director, or just some famous person). The point of having a high profile host is to draw more attention and more Academy members to the event. This is especially helpful when the people involved in the film are not that entrenched in the industry.
Real fish at the source