The film premiered at Sundance Film Festival in January 2012 to rave reviews , winning the Grand Jury Prize . In May 2012 , Wallis flew to France for the premiere of the film at the Cannes Film Festival . The film received much acclaim and praise for Wallis ' outstanding performance , and it won the prestigious Caméra d'Or award for Best first Feature Film . On January 10 , 2013 , at age nine , Wallis became the Academy Awards ' youngest nominee for Best Actress and third youngest in all categories . However , she was just six during the filming . Wallis is the first African-American child actor to earn an Oscar nomination . She is also the first person born in the 21st century to be nominated for an Academy Award
Cannes Film Festival
2012 Cannes Film Festival
Quvenzhané Wallis