Barack and Michelle Obama have won their first Academy Award.
The former first family took home the award for best feature-length documentary at the 92nd Oscars on Sunday for “American Factory”.
The award, the first for the couple, comes after the setup of their production company, Higher Ground.
“Our story is from Ohio and China but it can really be from anywhere. Working people have it harder and harder these days,” said Julia Reichert while accepting the Oscar along with Steven Bognar. “We believe things will get better when workers of the world unite.”
According to Variety, “American Factory” tells the story of what happens when a Chinese company opens an automotive glass plant at a former General Motors plant in Ohio and faces intense cultural differences and community skepticism.
After the ceremony, the former President tweeted: “Congrats to Julia and Steven, the filmmakers behind American Factory, for telling such a complex, moving story about the very human consequences of wrenching economic change. Glad to see two talented and downright good people take home the Oscar for Higher Ground’s first release.”
Congrats to Julia and Steven, the filmmakers behind American Factory, for telling such a complex, moving story about the very human consequences of wrenching economic change. Glad to see two talented and downright good people take home the Oscar for Higher Ground’s first release. https://t.co/W4AZ68iWoY
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) February 10, 2020
Also excited about the prize, the former first lady wrote, “Congrats to Julia, Steven, and the whole crew on winning Best Documentary for #AmericanFactory, Higher Ground’s first release! So glad to see their heart and honesty recognized—because the best stories are rarely tidy or perfect. But that’s where the truth so often lies.”
Congrats to Julia, Steven, and the whole crew on winning Best Documentary for #AmericanFactory, Higher Ground’s first release! So glad to see their heart and honesty recognized—because the best stories are rarely tidy or perfect. But that’s where the truth so often lies. https://t.co/qtdNEw9H3f
— Michelle Obama (@MichelleObama) February 10, 2020
The Fuyao plant, bought by Chinese industrialist Cao Dewang, employs some 2,200 American and 200 Chinese workers. The film gives a close-up look at how the cultures adjust to one another. Tensions rise when the factory doesn’t initially meet production goals, culminating in a bitter fight over the right to unionize, Foxnews reports.
“American Factory” beat competition from “Honeyland,” “The Cave,” “The Edge of Democracy” and “For Sama.”
Since its release, January 2019, it has claimed: Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Documentary, Independent Spirit Award for Best Documentary Feature, Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Documentary Film and Gotham Independent Film Award for Best Documentary.
The Obamas’ Higher Ground production company, which entered a multiyear agreement with Netflix in 2019, will also produce dramas and other family programming.
Other winners of black origin are, Matthew Cherry’s “Hair Love” for Best Animated Short Film.
