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The 95th Academy Awards will take place on March 12, 2023.
Daniel Schyrent and Dan Kwan’s sci-fi black comedy All Around All At Once (11 nominations) is leading this year’s nominations. And while we are waiting for the main film award of the year, we offer you to find out its history and some interesting facts about it.
History of the Oscar
The idea of creating the award belongs to the founder of the film company Metro Goldwyn Mayer, Louis Mayer. In 1926, Louis decided to create a kind of cinematographers’ union (Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences), which would deal with labor conflicts, and also promote the brand of Hollywood cinema around the world. Soon the idea arose to reward artists with a special prize for their contribution to culture.
In 1929, the first award ceremony was held under the name “Awards for Merit” (the name “Oscar” appeared a little later). Then it looked like a private event at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, where only 250 people were invited, and it took only 15 minutes to present the awards – that’s how many statuettes were awarded on May 16, 1929. That is, one minute for each artist (no red carpet, touching speeches and grandiose show).
The academy sent the names of the winners to the media three months before the ceremony, and newspapers were forbidden to publish the results before or during the event. However, in 1940, The LA Times violated the academy’s embargo and published the names of all Oscar winners before the ceremony. After that, the academy introduced the tradition of sealing envelopes, which is still practiced today.
Why Oscar?
The Academy Awards (“Awards of Merit”) officially received the name “Oscar” in 1934. However, it is still unknown how this happened. There are three versions of events.
1. In her autobiography, Hollywood actress Bette Davis claimed that she “accidentally” named the statue after her first husband, Harmon Oscar Nelson.
2. Another story suggests that Margaret Herrick, the academy’s executive secretary, saw the figurine in 1931 and said it looked like her uncle Oscar.
3. In 1934, Hollywood columnist Sidney Skolsky is said to have used the title for the first time in an article on Katharine Hepburn’s first Best Actress award.
When was the Oscars first aired?
On March 19, 1953 in the United States and Canada. Thirteen years later, the Academy Awards were first broadcast in color on April 18, 1966.
The history of the phrase “And the Oscar goes to…”
The phrase “And the Oscar goes to…” first appeared in 1989. It was invented by the American producer Allan Carr, as he considered that it was unlikely that anyone else would use it (“it is unlikely that it will have a competitor”).
Oscar 2023
Our favorites are the following, we recommend you to watch before the ceremony starts:
“Everything Everywhere All at once” (Dan Kwan, Daniel Scheinert)
Thanks to commercial success and a warm reception from both viewers and critics, “Everything, Everywhere, All At Once” has turned from an absolutely massive fantasy comedy action movie into a serious participant in the Oscar race. At the Golden Globes, the film, for example, received a record six nominations, but overtook its rivals in only two: Michelle Yeoh won Best Actress (Comedy or Musical) and Ke Huy Kuan won Best Supporting Actor.
This tale of how the fate of the multiverse ends up in the hands of an ordinary laundromat owner with a trailer of personal problems may at first seem too simple for an Oscar. But her ingenuity and wit, not bordering on vulgarity (except sometimes), can, on the contrary, make “Everything Everywhere and At Once” the leader of the race.
“Banshee of Inisherina” (Martin McDonagh)
Although the “Banshee of Inisherina” about the conflict of two friends did not take the Golden Lion of the Venice Film Festival, it conquered the Golden Globe, winning awards in the nominations “Best Film (Comedy or Musical)”, “Best Actor (Comedy or Musical)” and “Best Script”.
All Quiet on the Western Front (Edward Berger)
All Quiet on the Western Front is a dark horse on Oscar predictions lists. The film, based on the novel by Erich Maria Remarque, premiered at the Toronto Film Festival, and then absolutely captivated the audience after the release on the platforms, and now on Rotten Tomatoes, The Front, for example, has a 91 percent rating.
Navalny (Daniel Roher)
A biographical documentary with elements of a thriller about Russian opposition politician, founder of the Anti-Corruption Foundation, Alexei Navalny, and the events surrounding his poisoning in August 2020. Filmed by Canadian director Daniel Roher.
What is you favorite?
