African American earns an Oscar nomination

Amid all the feverish reaction to the Oscar nominations announced Monday, Dove will be thrilled to see a project it sponsored making the list of nominees. 

"Hair Love," created by Matthew A. Cherry, an African-American film director, writer, and producer, was one of five films nominated in the category of best animated short film. The seven-minute film tells the sweet story of an African American father who helps his daughter get her unruly hair styled for an event—while his wife is away. 

"Hair Love," which had a run in theaters during screenings of The Angry Birds Movie 2 last year (making it eligible for an Academy Award), was a Kickstarter project. Dove learned about it and quietly supported it financially. The Unilever brand's logo appears in the credits at the end, along with the line, "Special thanks to Dove Hair." 

The film had an initial fundraising goal of $75,000 but amassed nearly $300,000, making it the most highly funded short film campaign in Kickstarter history. Sony Pictures Animation eventually picked it up. Issa Rae voices the mother in the film, and producers on the project included Jordan Peele, Gabrielle Union, Dwyane Wade and Gabourey Sidibe.