1st Academy Awards facts for kids
The 1st Academy Awards ceremony was a special event held by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It was created to celebrate the best movies made in 1927 and 1928. The ceremony took place on May 16, 1929, in Los Angeles, California. Douglas Fairbanks, who was the president of AMPAS, hosted the show.
Tickets to the event cost five dollars. About 270 people attended, and the whole ceremony lasted only fifteen minutes! The awards were given out by Louis B. Mayer. This first Academy Awards was the only one that was not broadcast on radio or television.
During the ceremony, AMPAS gave out Academy Awards (which are now famously called Oscars). There were twelve different categories. What's interesting is that the winners were announced three months before the live event! Also, some nominations were for people, not specific movies. For example, Ralph Hammeras and Nugent Slaughter were nominated for "Engineering Effects," a category that doesn't exist anymore. Unlike today, an actor or director could win for several movies in one year. Emil Jannings won Best Actor for his work in both The Way of All Flesh and The Last Command. Famous people like Charlie Chaplin and the company Warner Bros. also received special Honorary Awards.
Contents
Celebrating the Best Movies
The first Academy Awards honored many great films and people. Here are some of the main winners:
Top Movie Awards
- Outstanding Picture, Production: Wings (produced by Lucien Hubbard for Paramount Pictures)
- Unique and Artistic Production: Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans (produced by William Fox for Fox Film Corporation)
Best Directors
- Best Director, Comedy Picture: Lewis Milestone for Two Arabian Knights
- Best Director, Dramatic Picture: Frank Borzage for Seventh Heaven
Best Actors and Actresses
- Best Actor in a Leading Role: Emil Jannings for The Last Command and The Way of All Flesh
- Best Actress in a Leading Role: Janet Gaynor for Seventh Heaven, Street Angel, and Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans
Best Writing
- Best Writing, Original Story: Ben Hecht for Underworld
- Best Writing, Adapted Story: Benjamin Glazer for Seventh Heaven
Technical Awards
- Best Cinematography: Charles Rosher and Karl Struss for Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans
- Best Art Direction: William Cameron Menzies for The Dove and Tempest
- Best Engineering Effects: Roy Pomeroy for Wings
- Best Writing, Title Writing: Joseph Farnham (for no specific film)
Special Honorary Awards
- Charlie Chaplin: He received an award for his amazing talent in acting, writing, directing, and producing his movie The Circus.
- Warner Brothers Production: They were honored for making The Jazz Singer, which was a groundbreaking "talking picture." This movie completely changed the film industry!
Movies with Multiple Wins
Some movies were so good they won more than one award:
- Seventh Heaven won three awards.
- Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans also won three awards.
- Wings won two awards.
Images for kids
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Sunrise won the Academy Award for Best Unique and Artistic Picture. This award was only given out once. It was meant to honor artistic films separately from more "commercial" movies.
See also
In Spanish: 1.ª edición de los Premios Óscar para niños
