Across the world, various awards are given in the field of cinema, like Academy Awards, Filmfare Awards, Golden Globe Awards, and many more. But the Oscar is considered the biggest of all these in the world. The Academy Awards, popularly known as the Oscars, are the oldest, most renowned, most influential, and most prestigious of all the film awards. The gold-plated statuettes are presented annually by a non-profit professional organization, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), based in Beverly Hills, California, and founded in 1927.
This article will discuss the history of the Oscars (Academy Awards), eligibility criteria, Indian winners, a list of 2022 winners, and many more. So, let’s get started.
When was the first Oscars handed out?
The first Oscars were handed out in 1929. Pricewaterhouse (now “PricewaterhouseCoopers”) managed the Oscars balloting process from 1935 till 1941 (initial six years). Since 1941, when their now-famous confidential envelope system was introduced, marking its first year of complete secrecy, "the Envelope Please" is now a familiar phrase that brings forth the thought of the Academy Awards ceremony.
What are the eligibility criteria for the Oscars?
Usually, the Academy Awards honors films made during the previous 12 months of the calendar year. To be eligible for the award, a film had to open in Los Angeles during the twelve months ending on July 31st of the preceding year. After the pandemic, relaxations were also made to these rules. As of now, films qualify through these pointers:
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Movies that open on streaming or video-on-demand services are allowed as long as they are intended for theatrical release. In this case, the film must also be available on the Academy Screening Room member site within 60 days of release.
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Films will also be considered eligible if they have been released in theatres in one of six metropolitan areas of the US - LA County, New York City, the Bay Area, Chicago, Miami, or Atlanta.
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The movie must run for at least seven straight days at the same venue, with at least one screening between 6 pm and 10 pm.
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Then, only the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences members may nominate and vote for candidates for the Oscars.
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The Academy we are talking about is divided into various branches of film production, and the nominees in each award category are picked by the members of the corresponding branch. For example, writers nominate writers, directors nominate directors, & so on.
Categories and rules of the Oscars
Winners after nominations are chosen from these 24 categories:
Best picture, actor, actress, supporting actor, supporting actress, directing, original screenplay, adapted screenplay, cinematography, production design, editing, original score, original song, costume design, makeup and hairstyling, sound mixing, sound editing, visual effects, foreign-language film, animated feature film, animated short, live-action short, documentary feature, and documentary short.
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The academy also presents scientific and technical awards, special achievement awards, honorary awards, the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award, the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award (for excellence in producing), and the Gordon E. Sawyer Award (for technological contributions), However, these are not necessarily awarded annually.
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In 2018, the academy announced adding an annual category for “outstanding achievement in popular film” to debut at the 2019 ceremony. But the said category was postponed due to certain criticisms.
List of Indians who have won Oscars
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Recipients
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Category
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Bhanu Athaiya
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Best Costume Design
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Satyajit Ray
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Honorary Award
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Resul Pookutty
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Best Sound Mixing
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Gulzar
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Best Original Song
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A R Rahman
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Best Original Score and Best Original Song
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List of Oscars 2022 Winners (94th Academy Awards)
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Category
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Winners
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Film
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ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE
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WILL SMITH
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King Richard
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ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
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TROY KOTSUR
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CODA
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ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE
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JESSICA CHASTAIN
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The Eyes of Tammy Faye
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ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
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ARIANA DEBOSE
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West Side Story
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ANIMATED FEATURE FILM
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ENCANTO
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Jared Bush, Byron Howard, Yvett Merino, and Clark Spencer
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CINEMATOGRAPHY
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DUNE
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Greig Fraser
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COSTUME DESIGN
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CRUELLA
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Jenny Beavan
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DIRECTING
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THE POWER OF THE DOG
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Jane Campion
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DOCUMENTARY (FEATURE)
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SUMMER OF SOUL (...OR, WHEN THE REVOLUTION COULD NOT BE TELEVISED)
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Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson, Joseph Patel, Robert Fyvolent and David Dinerstein
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DOCUMENTARY (SHORT SUBJECT)
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THE QUEEN OF BASKETBALL
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Ben Proudfoot
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FILM EDITING
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DUNE
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Joe Walker
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INTERNATIONAL FEATURE FILM
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DRIVE MY CAR
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Japan
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MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING
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THE EYES OF TAMMY FAYE
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Linda Dowds, Stephanie Ingram and Justin Raleigh
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MUSIC (ORIGINAL SCORE)
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DUNE
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Hans Zimmer
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MUSIC (ORIGINAL SONG)
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NO TIME TO DIE
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from No Time to Die; Music and Lyric by Billie Eilish and Finneas O'Connell
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BEST PICTURE
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CODA
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Philippe Rousselet, Fabrice Gianfermi and Patrick Wachsberger, Producers
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PRODUCTION DESIGN
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DUNE
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Production Design: Patrice Vermette; Set Decoration: Zsuzsanna Sipos
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SHORT FILM (ANIMATED)
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THE WINDSHIELD WIPER
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Alberto Mielgo and Leo Sanchez
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SHORT FILM (LIVE-ACTION)
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THE LONG GOODBYE
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Aneil Karia and Riz Ahmed
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SOUND
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DUNE
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Mac Ruth, Mark Mangini, Theo Green, Doug Hemphill and Ron Bartlett
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VISUAL EFFECTS
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DUNE
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Paul Lambert, Tristan Myles, Brian Connor, and Gerd Nefzer
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WRITING (ADAPTED SCREENPLAY)
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CODA
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Screenplay by Siân Heder
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WRITING (ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY)
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BELFAST
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Written by Kenneth Branagh
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Oscar Statuette
The design for the award statuette is a knight standing on a reel of film and holding a sword, is credited to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) art director Cedric Gibbons. Did you know? That sculptor George Stanley was appointed to create the original statuette based on Gibbons’s design. For many years the statuettes were cast in bronze with 24-karat gold plating. Previously, during World War II, the statuettes were made of plaster due to metal shortages. They are now made of gold-plated britannium but there has been no change in the design. However, it has remained unchanged, except for the pedestal base, the height of which was increased in 1945. The statuette stands 13.5 inches (34.3 cm) tall and weighs 8.5 pounds (3.8 kg).