Olivia Rodrigo, Charles Melton, and Past Lives star Greta Lee are among the winners honored on the 2024 Gold List, which highlights outstanding work by Asian Pacific creatives in film.
Voted on by members of the advocacy groups Gold House and CAPE (Coalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment), the fourth-annual Gold List was released Wednesday, with the critically-acclaimed Past Lives leading the pack with four wins, including Best Picture, Best Director for Celine Song, and Best Performance in a Leading Role for Lee (the categories are not categorized by gender).
Melton was named to the list for Best Performance in a Supporting Role, for his work in May December, while Hawaiian actress Lindsay Watson was given the Breakthrough Performance award for her role in The Wind & The Reckoning.
Rodrigo, who is half-Filipino on her father’s side, received the Best Original Song award for “Can’t Catch Me Now” from The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes.
Other notable winners include Hayao Miyazaki’s The Boy and the Heron, which took home the award for Best Animated Feature, and Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, which earned Best Adapted Screenplay. Honorable mention nods went to Taika Waititi, Keanu Reeves, and Stan Walker, for Best Original Screenplay (Next Goal Wins), Best Performance in a Leading Role (John Wick: Chapter 4), and Best Original Song (“I AM” from Origin), respectively.
Organizers from Gold House and CAPE say 2023 was an unprecedented year for AAPI representation, noting that 22 percent of films grossing more than $100 million at the domestic box office featured an Asian Pacific director, screenwriter, or lead actor. Of course, 2023 was also the year that saw last year’s Gold List winner Everything Everywhere All at Once taking home the Oscar for Best Picture.
“The Gold List was created to ensure awards seasons and mainstream society are up to date on the most worthy creative work — particularly work from communities that have been historically overlooked or excluded,” Jeremy Tran, Executive Director and COO of Gold House, said in a statement. “Every visible success leads to numerous unseen doors that are opened for new creative development, production, and distribution opportunities for these communities.”
“It is incredible to witness the tremendous work our community continues to bring to the global stage,” Melton said in a statement. “Let us continue to empower and uplift one another through new portrayals and experiences across artistic mediums.”
