LOS ANGELES - Black film-makers and actors are breaking new ground with the recent Oscar nominations, and for two very different movies released last year.

The big-budget box-office smash Black Panther, led by a black cast and director, is up for seven awards and the first superhero flick to score a Best Picture nod. And BlacKkKlansman, a biographical comedy-drama, has six nominations, including for Best Picture and Best Director, which makes Spike Lee only the sixth black film-maker in the Academy's 91-year history to be named in that category.