The Academy Awards or Oscar awards as it is widely known, is a mega event and it sparks off enthusiasm and curiosity all around the globe. Every year, there is huge speculation on who will win the awards and these awards are considered to be the most prestigious film awards. This is also the most watched event as far as awards for films are concerned. This is also the most watched awards show in the world.

What it is

Oscars are awarded annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. This was kick-started in the year 1929 in Los Angeles and since then, this has been acknowledged as the most coveted award presentation ceremony, recognizing talents in various departments of motion pictures. This includes acting, direction, art direction, animation, cinematography, costume design and screenwriting streams, among others.

The Oscar statuette

The Oscar statuette is otherwise officially known as the Academy Award of Merit. This award is made of gold-plated brittanium on a sparkling black metal base. The award depicts a knight standing on film-reel with a crusader’s sword. There are five spokes as well and these symbolise the fundamental branches of the Academy namely actors, directors, writers, technicians and of course, the producers.

The gala event this year

The Academy Awards for 2006 recognizing exceptional film achievements were presented on Sunday, 25 February, 2007, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood and Highland Center.

As usual, the event was conducted in a large scale and witnessed swarming crowds.

And the winners are…

Performance by an actor in a leading role

Forest Whitaker for The Last King of Scotland

Performance by an actor in a supporting role

Alan Arkin for Little Miss Sunshine

Performance by an actress in a leading role

Helen Mirren for The Queen

Performance by an actress in a supporting role

Jennifer Hudson for Dreamgirls

Best animated feature film of the year

Happy Feet George Miller

Achievement in directing

The Departed (Warner Bros.) Martin Scorsese

Best documentary feature

An Inconvenient Truth (Paramount Classics and Participant Productions)
A Lawrence Bender/Laurie David Production Davis Guggenheim

Best foreign language film of the year

The Lives of Others A Wiedemann & Berg Production, Germany

Best motion picture of the year

The Departed Warner Brothers

Achievement in visual effects

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest

Adapted screenplay

The Departed (Warner Bros.) Screenplay by William Monahan

Original screenplay

Little Miss Sunshine (Fox Searchlight) Written by Michael Arndt

It was especially a dream come true for the fans of Martin Scorsese as the director is hailed as someone who is truly deserving of the coveted award but the honour was eluding him for a long time. In fact, when our own Gowtham Menon, cartoonist and film critic Madhan, film critic Baradwaj Rangan, cinematographer-director Rajeev Menon and actor Madhavan were questioned by a daily recently on who they thought should win the award for the best director, their unanimous choice was Martin Scorsese.

We earnestly wish that Oscar soon translates into a reality for India. Whether Oscar is a yardstick has been debated the world over since a long time. But well, our point is clear. Whether it is the benchmark or not is a different issue altogether. The very fact that an Indian film wins an award at the International arena would simply mean that our films get more wide-spread attention and the Indian film industry, which is the largest in the world, could well get the recognition that it truly deserves, for we are replete with talents and technicalities and are competent on an International level.