Film Awards

Updated September 9, 2022 | Infoplease Staff

The events of the recent Academy Awards (in which actor Will Smith slapped host Chris Rock) show how film awards in 2022 can still throw up controversy after almost 100 years and create headlines around the world. But what is it that makes film awards such a lightning rod for unforgettable moments?

Academy Awards

The first Academy Awards took place at The Blossom Room of the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel on May 16, 1929. Emil Jannings won the first Best Actor award with Janet Gaynor scooping Best Actress. The event quickly established itself as a key fixture in the society calendar.

Controversy at the Awards

Controversy first reared its head in 1940 when Hattie McDaniel became the first African American to win an award for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Mammy in "Gone With The Wind".

The awards ceremony took place at the Coconut Grove nightclub in the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles (which at the time was a segregated hotel). As the only black person in the room, McDaniel had to be seated at a separate table from her co-stars and producers even had to lobby to have her gain access to the room.

The Academy Awards have often been used as a platform for protest as well as for highlighting issues and causes. In 1973, Marlon Brando famously boycotted the awards and sent Sacheen Littlefeather, a Native American activist, to refuse his award for Best Actor in "The Godfather". His refusal was a protest at the way Native Americans had been portrayed on film.

The following year, a different type of controversy took place when a LGBTQ+ activist named Robert Opel ran naked across the stage as David Niven introduced Elizabeth Taylor. Ever the wit, Niven remarked: “Isn’t it fascinating that the only laugh that man will ever get in his life is by stripping off and showing his shortcomings.”

The tragic postscript to this is that Opel was shot and killed at a robbery at his art gallery in San Francisco in 1979.

Surprise Winners

Academy award winners often surprise as well as delight. In 1987, Marlee Matlin was the first deaf actor to win an Academy Award for "Children Of A Lesser God" (a feat not repeated until 2022) and is still the youngest Best Actress winner.

In 1995, the veteran Martin Landau was a surprise Best Supporting Actor winner for his role as Bela Lugosi in Tim Burton’s "Ed Wood". Hurt by the snub, fellow nominee Samuel L. Jackson– who was a hot favorite for his classic turn as Jules in "Pulp Fiction"– was openly annoyed and could be seen shouting a profanity when the award was announced.

Cannes Film Festival

Although the Oscars dominate the film awards season, they are by no means the only event that makes headlines. The glamorous surroundings of Cannes in the South of France hosted the first International Film festival in 1939 and the Palme D’Or at Cannes has become as coveted a prize as any in the film industry.

Palme D’Or winners have ranged from classics such as "Pulp Fiction", "Taxi Driver", and "Apocalypse Now" to more low-budget, cult films such as Ken Loach’s "I, Daniel" and Wim Wenders’ "Paris, Texas".

Lars Von Trier Controversy

However, the festival has attracted its fair share of controversy over the years and many films and directors have fallen foul of both audiences and judges. Lars von Trier, the Danish director, caused more controversy than most in 2011 when, in a press conference, he called himself a Nazi and said that he ‘understood’ Hitler.

Although the remarks were later retracted, he was banned from the festival. One of his more infamous films, Antichrist, also included a scene involving female genital mutilation which reportedly made members of the Cannes audience faint from shock.

Publicity Stunts

Publicity stunts have also played their part in Cannes history. In 2001, a stunt to promote the Michael Winterbottom movie "24 Hour Party People" involved actors from the film throwing dead pigeons stuffed with feathers and fake blood at each on the beach. Although onlookers were amused at the time by the stunt, security intervened and the actors were removed.

British Academy Film Awards (BAFTAs)

The British Academy of Film and Television Awards (more commonly known as the BAFTAs) tend to be a more sedate affair. First hosted in 1949, they are seen as a bellwether for the Oscars while take place shortly after. However, recently they too have had their fair share of headlines.

Noel Clarke Scandal

In 2021, the Academy presented the Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema award to actor Noel Clarke; despite allegations relating to sexual misconduct on his part.

It later arose that the Academy had been informed of the allegations in advance yet still presented the award. As result, it took the decision to scrap honorary prizes in 2022.

European Film Awards (EFAs)

The European Film Awards are a more recent ceremony (first taking place in1988) and, due to being held in December (and thus after the glitzier ceremonies), are the last chance for an award in the calendar year.

Disgraced Directors

The awards have managed to remain relatively free of controversy over the years However Lars Von Trier’s remarks at Cannes (see above) did not prevent his film "Melancholia" scooping Best European Film at the EFAs in 2011.

In addition, the European Film Academy attracted further criticism for presenting the same prize to the disgraced director Roman Polanski the previous year.

In Conclusion

Although we have only covered a small number of the many ceremonies in the calendar, film awards in 2022 continue to shock, surprise and entertain us.

Although some actors and filmmakers have seen their reputations damaged over the years, movie companies are likely to come back to the famous Oscar Wilde quote: “There is only one thing in life worse than being talked about, and that is not being talked about.”