TAMPA (WFLA/CNN) – This year’s academy award winner for Best Animated Short Film has a Florida tie behind it.
“Hair Love” is about a father struggling to style the hair of his African-American daughter for the first time.
Matthew Cherry wrote and directed the film, helping produce it alongside Karen Rupert Toliver.
Cherry signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars as an undrafted free agent following the 2004 NFL Draft and is the second former athlete to win an Academy Award. The first since Kobe Bryant back in 2018.
Cherry says real-life videos of dads and daughters inspired him.
“Hair Love was done because we wanted to see more representation in animation,” Cherry said during his acceptance speech. “We wanted to normalize black hair. There’s a very important issue that’s out there, the CROWN Act, and if we can’t help to get this passed in all 50 states it will help stories like DeAndre Arnold’s who’s our special guest tonight.”
Arnold, a senior at Barbers Hill High School in Mont Belvieu, Texas, and his mother, Sandy, were invited to attend the Oscars as the guests of Cherry and Rupert Toliver
Cherry’s team funded the film with a Kickstarter campaign.