When the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced the contenders for Best Picture this morning, we noticed two familiar faces in the field. We were pleased to see the stylish thriller Argo among the nominees, as director Ben Affleck shared with us the “8 TED Talks that amazed me” in the fall. We were also excited to see that Beasts of the Southern Wild, executive produced by longtime TED community member Philipp Engelhorn, got a Best Picture nod. A visually stunning film with an 8-year-old star (who this morning became the youngest Best Actress nominee ever), Beasts tells the story of a fantasty America where a levee divides Louisiana from flood land, but many choose to live their lives past its reach. It’s a beautiful, powerful and truly creative film.

Congratulations to all the filmmakers behind Argo and Beasts, as well as to those who created fellow nominees Amour, Life of Pi, Lincoln, Silver Linings Playbook, Django Unchained, Zero Dark Thirty and Les Miserables.

And we’d like to thank the Academy for this TED Talk.