Kevin Feige Feels so Much Pride for Black Panther Receiving a Best Picture Nomination, Notes the Film’s Global Cultural Impact

Entertainment Weekly recently spoke to Marvel Studios chief Kevin Feige, who discussed the landmark Best Picture nomination for Marvel’s Black Panther. This is the first comic book movie to receive a nomination for Best Picture at the Academy Awards. Below are some highlights.

Feige on the Best Picture recognition: “The word that keeps coming to me from the moment it happened is just this humbling sense of pride for everyone involved in the movie. It’s the most important recognition that a film can receive in our industry. That’s not lost on any of us. It’s something that’s immensely gratifying. As the numerous phone calls and text messages [show] that went back and forth between all of us who were lucky enough to work on the film, it is just … pride.”

Feige on the film’s cultural impact: “I think Black Panther is a unique movie told by a unique filmmaker in a unique time. It comes down to this amazing cast and crew, and a brilliant director who had something to say. He had a very personal story and struggle to explore, and he wanted to use this movie and this canvas to tell it. Looking over the past year at the cultural impact this movie has had around the world, it feels like the recognition from the Academy this morning is the pinnacle of that.”

Feige on the Academy recognizing representation and inclusion: “It’s about representation, and it’s about inclusion, and it’s about the importance of telling different types of stories. That the Academy recognized that this morning is extremely gratifying to all of us.”