Oscar nominees assemble for class of 2017 picture

The nominees for this year’s Oscars came together for their annual celebratory lunch in Los Angeles yesterday, and the customary ‘class photo’ was as glittering as ever.

Getting together at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, the likes of Emma Stone, Denzel Washington, Natalie Portman, Ryan Gosling, Mahershala Ali, Matt Damon and Casey Affleck were in attendance.

Also, if you look closely, amongst the pack you’ll see Academy comeback king Mel Gibson, Dev Patel, Naomie Harris, Lucas Hedges, Octavia Spencer, and Viola Davis (grab a closer look below).

There were 150-plus crammed into the shot, the actors front of camera rubbing shoulders with those behind, including ‘La La Land’ helmsman Damien Chazelle and ‘Manchester By The Sea’s Kenneth Lonergan.

Academy president Cheryl Boone Isaacs commented ‘Wow, what a difference a year makes’, referring to this year’s more diverse crop of nominees.

“Simply put, real progress has been made,” she added.

It was a reference to the #OscarsSoWhite controversy that has dogged the annual prize-giving, with no black or other minority actors having been nominated in the acting categories for two years running.

The addition of 683 new Academy voters this year was among the action taken by Isaacs to ensure more diversity in the organisation.

This year’s ceremony, hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, takes place on February 26 at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood.

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