Academy Award for Best Picture (1960s) facts for kids
The Academy Award for Best Picture is one of the most important Oscars. These awards are given out every year to people who work in the movie industry. The American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) decides who wins. Winning Best Picture means a movie is considered the very best film of that year.
What is the Best Picture Oscar?
The Best Picture Oscar is the top award given at the Academy Awards. It celebrates the movie that is thought to be the most outstanding film of the year. This award goes to the producers of the film, who are the people responsible for making the movie happen.
Best Picture Winners of the 1960s
The 1960s were a great time for movies, and many classic films won the Best Picture Oscar. Here are the winners from 1960 to 1969, along with some of the other amazing movies that were nominated.
- 1960: The Apartment
* This movie is a comedy-drama about a man who lets his bosses use his apartment for their secret dates. It was directed by Billy Wilder. * Other nominated films included The Alamo and Elmer Gantry.
- 1961: West Side Story
* This famous musical tells the story of two rival street gangs and a forbidden love. It was directed by Robert Wise. * Other nominees were Fanny and The Guns of Navarone.
- 1962: Lawrence of Arabia
* This epic adventure film is about T.E. Lawrence, a British officer who united Arab tribes during World War I. It was produced by Sam Spiegel. * Other films nominated were The Longest Day and To Kill a Mockingbird.
- 1963: Tom Jones
* This British comedy is set in the 18th century and follows the adventures of a charming young man. It was directed by Tony Richardson. * Nominees included Cleopatra and How the West Was Won.
- 1964: My Fair Lady
* This beloved musical is about a phonetics professor who tries to transform a Cockney flower girl into a refined lady. It was produced by Jack L. Warner. * Other nominated movies were Mary Poppins and Dr. Strangelove.
- 1965: The Sound of Music
* This classic musical tells the story of a young woman who becomes a governess to a family of seven children in Austria. It was directed by Robert Wise. * Nominees included Doctor Zhivago and Ship of Fools.
- 1966: A Man for All Seasons
* This historical drama is about Sir Thomas More, who refused to accept King Henry VIII's divorce. It was directed by Fred Zinnemann. * Other nominated films were Alfie and Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?.
- 1967: In the Heat of the Night
* This crime drama is about a Black detective from the North who helps solve a murder in a small Southern town. It was produced by Walter Mirisch. * Nominees included Bonnie and Clyde and The Graduate.
- 1968: Oliver!
* This British musical is based on Charles Dickens' novel Oliver Twist, about an orphan boy in London. It was produced by John Woolf. * Other nominated movies were Funny Girl and Romeo and Juliet.
- 1969: Midnight Cowboy
* This drama tells the story of a young man who moves to New York City to become a male escort. It was produced by Jerome Hellman. * Nominees included Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and Hello, Dolly!.
