When we first learned about Cord Jefferson’s debut film, American Fiction, we knew it was a masterpiece in the making. Now, it’s officially an Oscar-winning effort. At the 96th Academy Awards, American Fiction won Best Adapted Screenplay. The movie was also nominated for Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor, and Best Original Score.

American Fiction—which is based on Percival Everett’s novel, Erasure—follows Thelonious "Monk" Ellison, an author who is frustrated with the publishing industry's interest in Black trauma. After he's asked to write something "Black," Monk creates a story about a convict on the run that’s steeped in harmful stereotypes. It’s meant to be a joke, poking fun at the media's ignorance—but it quickly becomes a bestseller.

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Since its premiere, American Fiction has received critical acclaim, but to Jefferson, the awards season buzz has been a blur. Earlier this year, he told The Hollywood Reporter that he forced himself to sleep the night before the nominations were announced. Then, he woke up to 228 missed messages. "I felt like, 'OK, something good happened or something really horrible,'" he said. "And I saw pretty quickly that there were congratulations from a lot of people... But this is incredible. It hasn’t really sunk in yet."

With a whip-smart concept and hilarious commentary on race, American Fiction pushes viewers to confront their prejudices while making them laugh along the way. If you haven't seen it yet, there's still time to catch up. Right now, you can rent or buy the film on Apple TV, Prime Video, and Vudu. Unfortunately, if you’re holding out for a streaming date, you’ll have to wait a while longer. The film was produced by MGM Studios, which typically ships its content to Prime Video—but American Fiction's streaming date has not been announced yet. If Amazon follows a timeline similar to Saltburn—which hit Prime Video roughly a month after its theatrical premiere—American Fiction should arrive on the platform soon.

Ultimately, it doesn’t matter how you see it—Jefferson just hopes you’ll tune in. "That, to me, is the dream," he said in an interview with Esquire. "All I want is for people to go see it with their friends and debate."

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