BATON ROUGE, La. — April 26, 2021 — Millions of Americans tune into the Academy Awards each year eager to learn the fate of the star-studded lineup of nominees; these talented individuals are recognized for their talent within their craft, and the role they have played in successful projects. This year, one of our very own Baton Rouge natives has been recognized with this honor.

I would like to formally congratulate Van Lathan on receiving an Oscar for his role as an Executive Producer in Two Distant Strangers. This piece competed against four other works within the “Live Action Short Film” category. 

Our community here in Baton Rouge is immensely proud of Van Lathan’s accomplishments; he continues to show the world what our residents are capable of achieving. 

I encourage our community to join me in congratulating him for this outstanding achievement, and may we all continue to strive to showcase the excellence of our City and Parish.