- Content: 
By India McCarty
SARAH’S OIL star Naya Desir-Johnson recently attended the 33rd Annual Movieguide® Awards, where she was recognized for her performance in the movie and got the chance to present an award.
Desir-Johnson presented the Aletheia: Best Documentary Prize, which recognized projects like THE CASE FOR MIRACLES, DUDE PERFECT: THE HERO TOUR, INVESTIGATING THE SUPERNATURAL: MIRACLES, KEVIN COSTNER PRESENTS: THE FIRST CHRISTMAS and MEARS: HOW ONE WOMAN CHANGED CHRISTIANITY.
In addition to presenting, Desir-Johnson was nominated for the Grace Prize® for Most Inspiring Performance for Movies (Actress) in SARAH’S OIL, which was based on an incredible true story. The movie was also nominated for the Faith and Freedom Award® for Movies and the Best Movie for Mature Audiences.
SARAH’S OIL tells the story of “Sarah Rector, an African American girl born in Oklahoma Indian Territory in the early 1900s, who believes there is oil beneath the barren land she’s allotted and whose faith is proven right,” a synopsis reads. “As greedy oil sharks close in, Sarah turns to her family, friends, and some Texas wildcatters to maintain control of her oil-rich land, eventually becoming among the nation’s first female African American millionaires — at eleven years old.”
Related: Sarah’s Oil: Red Carpet Premiere
“I’m so very excited to be nominated,” Desir-Johnson told Movieguide® while attending the event. “It means so much to me [to tell stories of hope and faith] because it feels like there are so many people in the world who need a little bit of encouragement and hope, and I’m so, so happy that entertainment can find a way to instill that in people.”
In another interview with Movieguide®, the young actress said, “It’s really cool, because you get to portray a person who is amazing, who has done so many things that probably you wouldn’t have done in real life. And two, I kind of connect to Sarah Rector because of her community, the people around her, when they come together in the movie, and they fight together.”
She continued, “It’s just really nice to be able to connect to some stories, because some stories, if you can’t really find them relatable, you start to lose interest…I want them to be fully engrossed, and not just say, ‘Oh, this is just a regular movie.’ No, this is about a person who got threatened, who had faith and love and community, and she knew what she was doing.”
Desir-Johnson summed up the message of SARAH’S OIL — “[Don’t let] no one let anyone tell you no if you work hard and put your heart to it.”
The 33rd Annual Movieguide® Awards will stream on Great American Family on March 5.
Read Next: Why the Faith Shown in SARAH’S OIL Will Encourage You
Questions or comments? Please write to us here.
Share:
– Content: +2