The Academy Award, awarded annually by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts, is considered the most prestigious award for excellence in cinema. The first laureates were awarded on May 16, 1929 in Los Angeles. In addition to certificates of honor, 15 gilded statuettes were issued. And since 1931, the award has been renamed "Oscar". There is still no single generally accepted version of the origin of this name.
Instructions
Step 1
The prize is currently being awarded in 24 nominations: Best Film of the Year, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, etc. The most prestigious nomination is “Best Film of the Year”. It is determined by a vote of all members of the Academy. Winners in other nominations are determined by professional voting, that is, by members of the Academy of the respective professions (actors, directors, cameramen, screenwriters, etc.)
Step 2
The rules for nominating films for the Oscar, voting and awarding were unchanged from 1929 to 2010. At first, at the first stage, it was required to form a short-list, that is, a short list of films-candidates for the Oscar. For this, lists of films eligible for this award were sent to all members of the Academy. After processing the results of their voting, the films included in this short list were officially announced as nominees for the award.
Step 3
The second stage of secret ballot determined the laureates in 24 nominations. Both at the first and at the second stage, its results were processed by the employees of a special auditing company. The title of the winning film and the names of the winners were kept in sealed envelopes, which were opened in the hall where the awards were presented, directly during the awards ceremony. Thus, the unknown remained until the last minute.
Step 4
There is only one exception to these rules: the Best Foreign Language Film nomination. First, a special jury consisting of members of the Academy, using a vote, selects pictures that deserve (in their opinion) participation in the nomination. Then another jury, consisting of ten members of the Academy, selected by lot, chooses five films-nominees, and from them - the winner. Only one motion picture can be presented from each country.
Step 5
Since 2010, some changes have been made to the rules. So, for example, now a film is declared the winner if 50% + 1 vote is cast for it. And there were ten applicants for victory in the Best Film of the Year nomination, instead of the previous five.
Step 6
As before, each laureate is awarded a gilded statuette. It is made in the form of a knight who stands on a reel of film and holds a sword in front of him. The figurine weighs 3850 grams. Since 2004, the Academy Awards have been held on the last Sunday in February.
