78th Academy Awards
Encyclopedia
The 78th Academy Awards honored the best films of 2005
and were held on March 5, 2006, at the Kodak Theatre
in Hollywood, California
. They were hosted by The Daily Show
host Jon Stewart
, with Tom Kane
making his first appearance as the show's announcer. The ceremony was pushed back from its newly established February date because of the 2006 Winter Olympics
in Turin
, Italy
.
The nominees were announced on January 31 at 5:38 a.m. PST
(13:38 UTC
) by Academy president Sid Ganis
and actress Mira Sorvino
, at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater
in the Academy's Beverly Hills
headquarters.
Ang Lee
's drama Brokeback Mountain
had the most nominations of the year's films, receiving eight. Paul Haggis
' Crash
, George Clooney
's Good Night, and Good Luck, and Rob Marshall
's Memoirs of a Geisha
each received six nominations.
The ceremony was remembered by many insiders and film critics for its nominations of independently financed, low budget films. In addition, the subject matter of the nominated films focused on controversial political and social themes, such as racial relations and racism
(Crash), homosexuality
(Brokeback Mountain, Capote), transsexuality (Transamerica), McCarthyism
(Good Night, and Good Luck), anti-semitism
and terrorism
(Munich, Syriana).
This year has become particularly noted for its major upset at the climax of the ceremony. Following a streak of numerous awards, Brokeback Mountain was heavily favored to win the Best Picture
category, but lost to Crash
, a film that, although publicly and critically acclaimed, had collected fewer previous awards throughout the season. Both films wrapped the ceremony with three Oscars each.
There was also some minor controversy regarding the nomination of Paradise Now
, as Best Foreign Language Film
.
On February 18, 2006, in a ceremony at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills, California
, the Academy Awards for Technical Achievement
were presented by host Rachel McAdams
.
The following four films each received multiple awards:
In addition, previous Academy Awards hosts Billy Crystal
, Chris Rock
, Steve Martin
, David Letterman
and Whoopi Goldberg
, as well as George Clooney, Mel Gibson
and Halle Berry
participated in a pre-taped comedy skit at the start of the broadcast. Tom Hanks
, in addition to presenting an award, was also featured in a pre-taped skit about keeping acceptance speeches within the time limits.
at the U.S. box office
, with the nominees for Best Picture performing even more poorly than those of one year earlier.
None of the five Best Picture nominees was among the year's top 40 releases in box office at the time of the nominations, likely the most disappointing box-office performance of any Best Picture field in history; the film chosen as best Documentary Feature, March of the Penguins
, earned more ($77.4 million) than any of the dramatic nominees, the first such occurrence in Academy history. As of January 31, Crash was the highest earner among the Best Picture nominees with $55.4 million in domestic box office receipts, and ranked as the 47th highest grosser of 2005. It was followed by Brokeback Mountain at $51 million (53rd) and Munich
at $40.1 million (67th); Good Night, and Good Luck.
($25.1 million) and Capote
($15.3 million) rounded out the field. (By the time of the awards, Brokeback Mountain would surpass Crash with $78.9 million, benefitting from its position as Oscar frontrunner.) Of the top 50 releases of 2005 in U.S. box office through January, only Crash, Walk the Line
(19th) and Cinderella Man
(41st) received nominations for directing, acting or writing. The top 18 films in box office received a total of only 14 nominations, with a majority of these in the categories of Visual Effects, Sound Mixing and Sound Editing.
For the first time in five years, a majority of the Best Picture nominees were rated R
(under 17 requires accompanying adult); it had been seven years since as many (four) of the nominees had earned that rating. Of the 85 nominations awarded to non-documentary feature films (apart from the Foreign Film category), a slight majority of 43 went to R-rated films, 25 to films rated PG-13, 16 to PG-rated films and 1 to a G-rated film. There was a remarkable rating-related division among the nominations: R-rated films captured 32 of the 40 nominations for Best Picture, directing, screenwriting and acting, while non-R-rated films received 34 of the 45 nominations in the remaining categories, primarily those in "below the line
" areas (the music and editing categories accounted for 9 of the 11 nominations for R-rated films).
Also, the nominations were more widely dispersed than usual; it marked the first time in six years that no film received more than eight nominations. This was also the first time in 17 years that less than 5 songs were nominated in the Best Original Song category.
This year the awards ceremony started at 5:00 p.m. PST, 30 minutes earlier than the previous seven ceremonies. The pre-show was extended from its original thirty minutes to a full hour before the ceremony. The Barbara Walters Special, usually airing before or after the ceremony (depending on time zone) was for the second time, since 2003, aired on different days this time before the actual day of the ceremony, March 1 to accommodate these time changes.
As has become standard practice in recent years (since the ceremony in 2004 following the Janet Jackson Super Bowl controversy
), the broadcast aired on a time delay in order to allow the network to censor offensive material. This occurred during the performance of "It's Hard Out Here for a Pimp
" when several words were blanked out at the start of the song, and later one phrase was bleeped during Three 6 Mafia
's acceptance speech. One phrase in the chorus that was supposed to be sung as "bitches talking shit" was replaced with the less-offensive phrase "witches jumping ships".
As with tradition, last year's acting winners present an acting award for the opposite sex. Cate Blanchett
won Best Supporting Actress
the previous year but was contractually signed to star in a play in New York City, therefore unable to present the award for Best Supporting Actor; Nicole Kidman
was recruited to fill in.
, Capote
, and Transamerica
featured prominent gay
or transgender
characters and were strong candidates for the popular Best Picture, Best Actor, and Best Actress categories.
Tom O'Neill of InTouch Weekly declared on CNN
Saturday Night, "I think we could have the all-gay Oscars. Brokeback for best picture; Capote for best actor; Transamerica for best actress." Ultimately, in these three categories only Capote won its potential award.
The label of "Gay Oscars" resembles the "Black Oscars" label of the 74th Academy Awards
when two people of African-American descent, Denzel Washington
and Halle Berry
, won the best actor and actress Oscars, respectively.
, Brokeback Mountain
, King Kong
, and Memoirs of a Geisha
each receiving that many. Crash was the first Best Picture winner since Rocky
, 29 years earlier, to win only three awards. It was also the first Best Picture winner since Chariots of Fire
, 24 years earlier, to not win for its directing nor for any of its performers. For the first time in 49 years, Best Picture, Best Director and the four acting awards went to six different films. King Kong and Memoirs of a Geisha became the first films since The Bad and the Beautiful
, 53 years earlier, to win (or tie for) the most awards, without being nominated for Best Picture.
For the first time in 44 years, each of the acting winners was a first-time nominee. With Philip Seymour Hoffman
winning for his performance as Truman Capote
, and Reese Witherspoon
honored for her role as June Carter
, it marked the fifth time that both lead acting awards went to performers playing real people. Ang Lee became the first Asian and non-Caucasian director to be honored. Paul Haggis was the evening's only multiple winner, with awards for producing and writing Crash. March of the Penguins
was the first nature documentary in 35 years (since The Hellstrom Chronicle
in 1971) to win the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature.
declared that the selection of Crash as best picture was a "stunning twist", due to the fact that Brokeback Mountain received the top prizes at other large award shows such as the Golden Globes
and the BAFTA Awards. It also suggested that Crash won as the "hometown favorite", being set in Los Angeles
, where most Academy voters live. Residents of Los Angeles were divided over the film, some believing it presented an unfairly negative portrayal of the city.
Los Angeles Times
film critic Kenneth Turan also observed that some Academy members displayed "discomfort" with the subject matter of Brokeback Mountain, which features a homosexual romance. He suggested that these voters might have instead voted for Crash so that they could still "feel like they were good, productive liberals", hence Crashs victory.
MSNBC
commentator Erik Lundegaard felt the Academy took a "step towards irrelevancy" by selecting the "worst best picture winner since The Greatest Show on Earth
in 1952." In a commentary in The Guardian
, Annie Proulx—the author of the short story on which Brokeback Mountain was based—strongly criticized the selection of Crash, labeling it "trash" and denouncing Academy voters as "living cloistered lives behind wrought-iron gates or in deluxe rest-homes, out of touch not only with the shifting larger culture and the yeasty ferment that is America these days, but also out of touch with their own segregated city"; calling the attendees a "somewhat dim LA crowd", she stated that "Next year we can look to the awards for controversial themes on the punishment of adulterers with a branding iron in the shape of the letter A, runaway slaves, and the debate over free silver."
) the third lowest viewed ceremony in terms of Nielsen Ratings. This is partially due to the lack of box office hits being nominated. Still, only Super Bowl XL
(which also aired on ABC) drew a higher television audience in the U.S., as is typically the case. The ceremony even won an Emmy for Main Title Design.
2005 in film
- Highest-grossing films :Please note that following the tradition of the English-language film industry, these are the top-grossing films that were first released in the United States in 2005...
and were held on March 5, 2006, at the Kodak Theatre
Kodak Theatre
The Kodak Theatre is a live theatre in the Hollywood and Highland shopping mall and entertainment complex on Hollywood Boulevard and North Highland Avenue in the Hollywood district of Los Angeles...
in Hollywood, California
Hollywood, Los Angeles, California
Hollywood is a famous district in Los Angeles, California, United States situated west-northwest of downtown Los Angeles. Due to its fame and cultural identity as the historical center of movie studios and movie stars, the word Hollywood is often used as a metonym of American cinema...
. They were hosted by The Daily Show
The Daily Show
The Daily Show , is an American late night satirical television program airing each Monday through Thursday on Comedy Central. The half-hour long show premiered on July 21, 1996, and was hosted by Craig Kilborn until December 1998...
host Jon Stewart
Jon Stewart
Jon Stewart is an American political satirist, writer, television host, actor, media critic and stand-up comedian...
, with Tom Kane
Tom Kane
Tom Kane is a prominent American voice actor with over 25 years of experience. He is most widely known for his animation work...
making his first appearance as the show's announcer. The ceremony was pushed back from its newly established February date because of the 2006 Winter Olympics
2006 Winter Olympics
The 2006 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XX Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in Turin, Italy from February 10, 2006, through February 26, 2006. This marked the second time Italy hosted the Olympic Winter Games, the first being the VII Olympic Winter...
in Turin
Turin
Turin is a city and major business and cultural centre in northern Italy, capital of the Piedmont region, located mainly on the left bank of the Po River and surrounded by the Alpine arch. The population of the city proper is 909,193 while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
.
The nominees were announced on January 31 at 5:38 a.m. PST
Pacific Time Zone
The Pacific Time Zone observes standard time by subtracting eight hours from Coordinated Universal Time . The clock time in this zone is based on the mean solar time of the 120th meridian west of the Greenwich Observatory. During daylight saving time, its time offset is UTC-7.In the United States...
(13:38 UTC
Coordinated Universal Time
Coordinated Universal Time is the primary time standard by which the world regulates clocks and time. It is one of several closely related successors to Greenwich Mean Time. Computer servers, online services and other entities that rely on having a universally accepted time use UTC for that purpose...
) by Academy president Sid Ganis
Sid Ganis
Sidney Ganis is a Greek-American motion picture executive and producer who has produced such films as Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo, Big Daddy, Mr. Deeds, The Master of Disguise and Akeelah and the Bee. On August 23, 2005 he was elected President of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences...
and actress Mira Sorvino
Mira Sorvino
Mira Katherine Sorvino is an American actress. She won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in Mighty Aphrodite and is also known for her role as Romy White in Romy and Michele's High School Reunion.- Early life :Sorvino was born in Tenafly, New Jersey...
, at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater
Samuel Goldwyn
Samuel Goldwyn was an American film producer, and founding contributor executive of several motion picture studios.-Biography:...
in the Academy's Beverly Hills
Beverly Hills, California
Beverly Hills is an affluent city located in Los Angeles County, California, United States. With a population of 34,109 at the 2010 census, up from 33,784 as of the 2000 census, it is home to numerous Hollywood celebrities. Beverly Hills and the neighboring city of West Hollywood are together...
headquarters.
Ang Lee
Ang Lee
Ang Lee is a Taiwanese film director. Lee has directed a diverse set of films such as Eat Drink Man Woman , Sense and Sensibility , Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon , Hulk , and Brokeback Mountain , for which he won an Academy...
's drama Brokeback Mountain
Brokeback Mountain
Brokeback Mountain is a 2005 romantic drama film directed by Ang Lee. It is a film adaptation of the 1997 short story of the same name by Annie Proulx with the screenplay written by Diana Ossana and Larry McMurtry...
had the most nominations of the year's films, receiving eight. Paul Haggis
Paul Haggis
Paul Edward Haggis is a Canadian screenwriter, producer, and director. He spent his early career producing and directing various American and Canadian television network series.-Early life and education:...
' Crash
Crash (2004 film)
Crash is a 2004 American drama film co-written, produced, and directed by Paul Haggis. The film is about racial and social tensions in Los Angeles, California. A self-described "passion piece" for Haggis, Crash was inspired by a real life incident in which his Porsche was carjacked outside a video...
, George Clooney
George Clooney
George Timothy Clooney is an American actor, film director, producer, and screenwriter. For his work as an actor, he has received two Golden Globe Awards and an Academy Award...
's Good Night, and Good Luck, and Rob Marshall
Rob Marshall
Rob Marshall is an American theater director, film director and choreographer. He is a six-time Tony Award nominee, Academy Award nominee, Golden Globe nominee and four-time Emmy winner whose most noted work is the 2002 Academy Award for Best Picture winner Chicago.-Life and career:Marshall was...
's Memoirs of a Geisha
Memoirs of a Geisha (film)
Memoirs of a Geisha is a 2005 film adaptation of the novel of the same name, produced by Steven Spielberg's Amblin Entertainment and Spyglass Entertainment and by Douglas Wick's Red Wagon Productions. It was directed by Rob Marshall. It was released in the United States on December 9, 2005 by...
each received six nominations.
The ceremony was remembered by many insiders and film critics for its nominations of independently financed, low budget films. In addition, the subject matter of the nominated films focused on controversial political and social themes, such as racial relations and racism
Racism
Racism is the belief that inherent different traits in human racial groups justify discrimination. In the modern English language, the term "racism" is used predominantly as a pejorative epithet. It is applied especially to the practice or advocacy of racial discrimination of a pernicious nature...
(Crash), homosexuality
Homosexuality
Homosexuality is romantic or sexual attraction or behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality refers to "an enduring pattern of or disposition to experience sexual, affectional, or romantic attractions" primarily or exclusively to people of the same...
(Brokeback Mountain, Capote), transsexuality (Transamerica), McCarthyism
McCarthyism
McCarthyism is the practice of making accusations of disloyalty, subversion, or treason without proper regard for evidence. The term has its origins in the period in the United States known as the Second Red Scare, lasting roughly from the late 1940s to the late 1950s and characterized by...
(Good Night, and Good Luck), anti-semitism
Anti-Semitism
Antisemitism is suspicion of, hatred toward, or discrimination against Jews for reasons connected to their Jewish heritage. According to a 2005 U.S...
and terrorism
Terrorism
Terrorism is the systematic use of terror, especially as a means of coercion. In the international community, however, terrorism has no universally agreed, legally binding, criminal law definition...
(Munich, Syriana).
This year has become particularly noted for its major upset at the climax of the ceremony. Following a streak of numerous awards, Brokeback Mountain was heavily favored to win the Best Picture
Academy Award for Best Picture
The Academy Award for Best Picture is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to artists working in the motion picture industry. The Best Picture category is the only category in which every member of the Academy is eligible not only...
category, but lost to Crash
Crash (2004 film)
Crash is a 2004 American drama film co-written, produced, and directed by Paul Haggis. The film is about racial and social tensions in Los Angeles, California. A self-described "passion piece" for Haggis, Crash was inspired by a real life incident in which his Porsche was carjacked outside a video...
, a film that, although publicly and critically acclaimed, had collected fewer previous awards throughout the season. Both films wrapped the ceremony with three Oscars each.
There was also some minor controversy regarding the nomination of Paradise Now
Paradise Now
Paradise Now is a 2005 film directed by Hany Abu-Assad about two Palestinian men preparing for a suicide attack in Israel. It won a Golden Globe for best foreign language film and was nominated for an Academy Award in the same category....
, as Best Foreign Language Film
Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film
The Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film is one of the Academy Awards of Merit, popularly known as the Oscars, handed out annually by the U.S.-based Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences...
.
On February 18, 2006, in a ceremony at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills, California
Beverly Hills, California
Beverly Hills is an affluent city located in Los Angeles County, California, United States. With a population of 34,109 at the 2010 census, up from 33,784 as of the 2000 census, it is home to numerous Hollywood celebrities. Beverly Hills and the neighboring city of West Hollywood are together...
, the Academy Awards for Technical Achievement
Academy Award for Technical Achievement
The Technical Achievement Award is a kind of Scientific and Technical Award given by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to those whose particular technical accomplishments have contributed to the progress of the motion picture industry and who are given a certificate, which describes...
were presented by host Rachel McAdams
Rachel McAdams
Rachel Anne McAdams is a Canadian actress. After graduating from a theatre program at York University, Toronto in 2001, she worked steadily as an actress until finding fame in 2004 with starring roles in teen comedy Mean Girls and romantic drama The Notebook...
.
Visual Effects
- Batman Begins
- Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
- The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe
- Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
- King Kong
- Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith
- War of the Worlds
Animated Film
- Chicken Little
- Corpse BrideCorpse BrideCorpse Bride, often promoted as Tim Burton's Corpse Bride, is a 2005 stop-motion-animated fantasy musical film directed by Mike Johnson and Tim Burton. It is set in a fictional Victorian era village in Europe. Johnny Depp led an all-star cast as the voice of Victor, while Helena Bonham Carter ...
- Gulliver's Travel
- Hoodwinked
- Howl's Moving CastleHowl's Moving Castle (film)is a 2004 Japanese animated fantasy film written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki of Studio Ghibli and based on the novel of the same name by Diana Wynne Jones...
- Madagascar
- Robots (film)Robots (film)Robots is a 2005 American computer-animated comedy film produced by Blue Sky Studios for 20th Century Fox, and was released theatrically on March 11, 2005. The story was created by Chris Wedge and William Joyce, a children's book author/illustrator. The two were trying to create a film version of...
- SteamboySteamboyis a 2004 Japanese animated steampunk film, produced by Sunrise, and directed and co-written by Katsuhiro Otomo, his second major anime release, following Akira. The film was released in Japan on July 17, 2004. Steamboy is the most expensive full length Japanese animated movie made to date...
- Valiant
- Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-RabbitWallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-RabbitWallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit is a 2005 British clay-mation animated comedy horror film, the first feature-length Wallace and Gromit film. It was produced by DreamWorks Animation and Aardman Animations, and released by DreamWorksPictures...
Documentary
- After Innocence
- The Boys of Baraka
- Darwin's Nightmare
- The Devil and Daniel Johnston
- Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room
- Favela Rising
- Mad Hot Ballroom
- March of the Penguins
- Murderball
- Occupation: Dreamland
- On Native Soil: The Documentary of the 9/11 Commission ReportOn Native SoilOn Native Soil: the documentary of the 9/11 Commission report is a 2005 documentary by Linda Ellman narrated by Kevin Costner and Hilary Swank...
- Rize
- Street Fight
- 39 Pounds of Love
- Unknown White Male
Makeup
- The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe
- Cinderella Man
- A History of Violence
- The Libertine
- Mrs. Henderson Presents
- The New World
- Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith
Sound Editing
- The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe
- Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
- King Kong
- Memoirs of a Geisha
- Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith
- Walk the Line
- War of the Worlds
Awards
Winners are listed first and highlighted in boldface.| [Academy Award for Best Picture|Best Picture]] | [Academy Award for Best Director|Best Director]] |
|---|---|
|
Ang Lee Ang Lee is a Taiwanese film director. Lee has directed a diverse set of films such as Eat Drink Man Woman , Sense and Sensibility , Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon , Hulk , and Brokeback Mountain , for which he won an Academy... – Brokeback Mountain Brokeback Mountain Brokeback Mountain is a 2005 romantic drama film directed by Ang Lee. It is a film adaptation of the 1997 short story of the same name by Annie Proulx with the screenplay written by Diana Ossana and Larry McMurtry...
Good Night, and Good Luck. Good Night, and Good Luck. is a 2005 American drama film directed by George Clooney. The film was written by Clooney and Grant Heslov and portrays the conflict between veteran radio and television journalist Edward R. Murrow and U.S... Paul Haggis Paul Edward Haggis is a Canadian screenwriter, producer, and director. He spent his early career producing and directing various American and Canadian television network series.-Early life and education:... – Crash Crash (2004 film) Crash is a 2004 American drama film co-written, produced, and directed by Paul Haggis. The film is about racial and social tensions in Los Angeles, California. A self-described "passion piece" for Haggis, Crash was inspired by a real life incident in which his Porsche was carjacked outside a video... Bennett Miller Bennett Miller is an American film director.Miller is the director of the feature Capote , a film for which he received an Oscar nomination for Best Director. He also directed the documentary film The Cruise... – Capote Capote (film) Capote is a 2005 biographical film about Truman Capote, following the events during the writing of Capote's non-fiction book In Cold Blood. Philip Seymour Hoffman won several awards, including the Academy Award for Best Actor, for his critically acclaimed portrayal of the title role. The movie was... Steven Spielberg Steven Allan Spielberg KBE is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, video game designer, and studio entrepreneur. In a career of more than four decades, Spielberg's films have covered many themes and genres. Spielberg's early science-fiction and adventure films were seen as an... – Munich Munich (film) Munich is a 2005 historical fiction film about the Israeli government's secret retaliation attacks after the massacre of Israeli athletes by the Black September terrorist group during the 1972 Summer Olympics. The film stars Eric Bana and was produced and directed by Steven Spielberg... |
| [Academy Award for Best Actor|Best Actor]] | [Academy Award for Best Actress|Best Actress]] |
|
Capote (film) Capote is a 2005 biographical film about Truman Capote, following the events during the writing of Capote's non-fiction book In Cold Blood. Philip Seymour Hoffman won several awards, including the Academy Award for Best Actor, for his critically acclaimed portrayal of the title role. The movie was...
|
Reese Witherspoon Laura Jeanne Reese Witherspoon , better known as Reese Witherspoon, is an American actress and film producer. Witherspoon landed her first feature role as the female lead in the film The Man in the Moon in 1991; later that year she made her television acting debut, in the cable movie Wildflower... – Walk the Line Walk the Line Walk the Line is a 2005 American biographical drama film directed by James Mangold and based on the early life and career of country music artist Johnny Cash...
Mrs. Henderson Presents Mrs Henderson Presents is a 2005 British comedy film directed by Stephen Frears. It stars Judi Dench, Bob Hoskins, Kelly Reilly, and Will Young in his acting debut.-Plot:... Felicity Huffman Felicity Kendall Huffman is an American film, stage, and television actress. She is known for her role as executive producer Dana Whitaker on the ABC television show Sports Night , which earned her a Golden Globe Award nomination, and as hectic supermom Lynette Scavo on the ABC show Desperate... – Transamerica Transamerica (film) Transamerica is a 2005 independent comedy-drama film produced by IFC Films and The Weinstein Company. The film tells the story of Bree, a transsexual woman , who goes on a road trip with her long-lost son Toby .... Keira Knightley Keira Christina Knightley born 26 March 1985) is an English actress and model. She began acting as a child and came to international notice in 2002 after co-starring in the film Bend It Like Beckham... – Pride & Prejudice Pride & Prejudice (2005 film) Pride & Prejudice is a 2005 British romance film directed by Joe Wright. It is a film adaptation of the 1813 novel of the same name by Jane Austen and the second adaption produced by Working Title Films. It was released on September 16, 2005, in the UK and on November 11, 2005, in the... Charlize Theron Charlize Theron is a South African actress, film producer and former fashion model.She rose to fame in the late 1990s following her roles in 2 Days in the Valley, Mighty Joe Young, The Devil's Advocate and The Cider House Rules... – North Country North Country (film) North Country is a 2005 American drama film directed by Niki Caro. The screenplay by Michael Seitzman was inspired by the 2002 book Class Action: The Story of Lois Jenson and the Landmark Case That Changed Sexual Harassment Law by Clara Bingham and Laura Leedy Gansler, which chronicled the case of... |
| [Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor|Best Supporting Actor]] | [Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress|Best Supporting Actress]] |
|
George Clooney George Timothy Clooney is an American actor, film director, producer, and screenwriter. For his work as an actor, he has received two Golden Globe Awards and an Academy Award... – Syriana Syriana Syriana is a 2005 geopolitical thriller film written and directed by Stephen Gaghan, and executive produced by George Clooney, who also stars in the film with an ensemble cast. Gaghan's screenplay is loosely adapted from Robert Baer's memoir See No Evil...
|
Rachel Weisz Rachel Hannah Weisz born 7 March 1970)is an English-American film and theatre actress and former fashion model. She started her acting career at Trinity Hall, Cambridge, where she co-founded the theatrical group Cambridge Talking Tongues... – The Constant Gardener The Constant Gardener (film) The Constant Gardener is a 2005 drama film directed by Fernando Meirelles. The screenplay by Jeffrey Caine is based on the John le Carré novel of the same name. It tells the story of Justin Quayle, a man who seeks to find the motivating forces behind his wife's murder.The film stars Ralph Fiennes,...
|
| [Academy Award for Best Writing (Original Screenplay)|Best Original Screenplay]] | [Academy Award for Best Writing (Adapted Screenplay)|Best Adapted Screenplay]] |
|
Crash (2004 film) Crash is a 2004 American drama film co-written, produced, and directed by Paul Haggis. The film is about racial and social tensions in Los Angeles, California. A self-described "passion piece" for Haggis, Crash was inspired by a real life incident in which his Porsche was carjacked outside a video... – Paul Haggis Paul Haggis Paul Edward Haggis is a Canadian screenwriter, producer, and director. He spent his early career producing and directing various American and Canadian television network series.-Early life and education:... and Robert Moresco Robert Moresco Robert "Bobby" Moresco is a Hollywood screenwriter. His credits include 10th & Wolf and Crash, the latter of which he won an Academy Award for. He also was a producer of Crash and has acted in three films. He wrote scripts for the television series EZ Streets, Millennium and The Black...
|
Brokeback Mountain Brokeback Mountain is a 2005 romantic drama film directed by Ang Lee. It is a film adaptation of the 1997 short story of the same name by Annie Proulx with the screenplay written by Diana Ossana and Larry McMurtry... – Larry McMurtry Larry McMurtry Larry Jeff McMurtry is an American novelist, essayist, bookseller and screenwriter whose work is predominantly set in either the old West or in contemporary Texas... and Diana Ossana Diana Ossana Diana Lynn Ossana is an American writer who has collaborated on writing screenplays, teleplays, and novels with author Larry McMurtry since they first worked together in 1992, on the semi-fictionalized biography Pretty Boy Floyd...
|
| [Academy Award for Best Animated Feature|Best Animated Feature]] | [List of submissions to the 78th Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film|Best Foreign Language Film]] |
|
Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit is a 2005 British clay-mation animated comedy horror film, the first feature-length Wallace and Gromit film. It was produced by DreamWorks Animation and Aardman Animations, and released by DreamWorksPictures... - Nick Park Nick Park Nicholas Wulstan "Nick" Park, CBE is an English filmmaker of stop motion animation best known as the creator of Wallace and Gromit and Shaun the Sheep.... Steve Box Steve Box Steve Box is an English animator and director who works for Aardman Animations.His early work in animation included the popular British claymation television series The Trap Door for Bristol-based animation studio CMTB Animation.Box joined Aardman Animations in 1990. He directed the video for the...
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Tsotsi Tsotsi is a 2005 film written and directed by Gavin Hood. The film is an adaptation of the novel Tsotsi, by Athol Fugard. The soundtrack features Kwaito music performed by popular South African artist Zola as well as a score by Mark Kilian and Paul Hepker featuring the voice of South African... (South Africa South Africa The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans... )
|
| [Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature|Best Documentary Feature]] | [Academy Award for Best Documentary (Short Subject)|Best Documentary Short]] |
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March of the Penguins March of the Penguins is a 2005 French nature documentary film. It was directed and co-written by Luc Jacquet, and co-produced by Bonne Pioche and the National Geographic Society. The film depicts the yearly journey of the emperor penguins of Antarctica... – Luc Jacquet Luc Jacquet Luc Jacquet is a French film director from Paris. He wrote and directed the movie March of the Penguins, which won an Oscar for best documentary feature in 2005. His current film is called The Fox And the Child... and Yves Darondeau
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A Note of Triumph: The Golden Age of Norman Corwin A Note of Triumph: The Golden Age of Norman Corwin is a 2005 documentary short subject about writer Norman Corwin. In addition to Corwin, the cast includes Robert Altman, Norman Lear, Walter Cronkite, Studs Terkel, and radio historians Timothy Troy and Norman Gilliland.On March 5, 2006 it won the... – Corinne Marrinan and Eric Simonson Eric Simonson Eric Simonson is an American writer and director in theatre, film and opera. He was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical in 1993 for The Song of Jacob Zulu.- Personal life :... The Death of Kevin Carter: Casualty of the Bang Bang Club The Death of Kevin Carter: Casualty of the Bang Bang Club aka The Life of Kevin Carter is a 2004 American documentary short subject about the suicide of South African photojournalist Kevin Carter. The film was produced and directed by Dan Krauss... – Dan Krauss God Sleeps in Rwanda God Sleeps in Rwanda is a 2005 documentary short subject about five women affected by the Rwandan genocide.On January 31, 2006 it was nominated for the Academy Award for Documentary Short Subject. It lost to A Note of Triumph: The Golden Age of Norman Corwin.-External links:*... – Kimberlee Acquaro Kimberlee Acquaro Kimberlee Acquaro is an American filmmaker and photojournalist.Her short documentary God Sleeps in Rwanda was nominated for an Oscar.God Sleeps in Rwanda was shown at the United Nations Association Film Festival, Woodrow Wilson Center, and Women, Power and Politics Film Festival.-Awards:*... and Stacy Sherman The Mushroom Club The Mushroom Club is a 2005 documentary short subject, directed by Steven Okazaki.The short film is about the nuclear bomb dropped on Hiroshima and its effects on the residents of that city sixty years later.... – Steven Okazaki Steven Okazaki Steven Okazaki is an American filmmaker. He is Sansei Japanese American and is based in the San Francisco Bay Area... |
| [Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film|Best Live Action Short]] | [Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film|Best Animated Short]] |
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Six Shooter (film) Six Shooter is an Irish 2005 live action short film starring Brendan Gleeson and Rúaidhrí Conroy.-Plot:Donnelly's wife has just died in an accident and he goes home on a train afterwards. There he finds a seat by a kid and the two strike a conversation... – Martin McDonagh Martin McDonagh Martin McDonagh is an Irish-British playwright, filmmaker, and screenwriter. Although he has lived in London his entire life, he is considered one of the most important living Irish playwrights.-Life:...
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The Moon and the Son: An Imagined Conversation The Moon and the Son: An Imagined Conversation is a 2005 animated short film.On March 5, 2006 it won the Academy Award for Animated Short Film.... – John Canemaker John Canemaker John Cannizzaro Jr. , better known as John Canemaker, is an independent animator, animation historian, author, teacher and lecturer. In 1980, he began teaching and developing the animation program at New York University, Tisch School of the Arts', Kanbar Institute of Film and Television Department... and Peggy Stern Peggy Stern Margaret "Peggy" Stern is an American jazz pianist and synthesizer player.Stern studied piano at the Eastman School of Music, achieving her bachelor's in 1968, then attended the New England Conservatory of Music... Badgered Badgered is a 2005 animated short film, nominated on January 31, 2006 for the Academy Award for Animated Short Film. The film was written, animated and directed by Sharon Colman at the National Film and Television School and is voiced by Rupert Degas.... – Sharon Colman The Mysterious Geographic Explorations of Jasper Morello The Mysterious Geographic Explorations of Jasper Morello is a 2005 Australian short film. The first episode is labeled Jasper Morello and the Lost Airship.- Story :The First Voyage - Jasper Morello and the Lost Airship... – Anthony Lucas Shane Acker Shane Acker is an American film-maker known for directing 9, which is based on his 2005 Academy Award-nominated film, 9. He is a graduate of the University of California, Los Angeles.- Background :... One Man Band (film) One Man Band is a 2005 Pixar animated short film. The film made its world premiere at the 29th Annecy International Animated Film Festival in Annecy, France, and won the Platinum Grand Prize at the Future Film Festival in Bologna, Italy... – Andrew Jimenez and Mark Andrews Mark Andrews (filmmaker) Mark Andrews is a Pixar employee. He was the story supervisor for The Incredibles, directed the short film One Man Band and co-wrote the short films Jack-Jack Attack and One Man Band.... |
| [Academy Award for Best Original Score|Best Original Score]] | [Academy Award for Best Original Song|Best Original Song]] |
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Brokeback Mountain Brokeback Mountain is a 2005 romantic drama film directed by Ang Lee. It is a film adaptation of the 1997 short story of the same name by Annie Proulx with the screenplay written by Diana Ossana and Larry McMurtry... – Gustavo Santaolalla Gustavo Santaolalla Gustavo Alfredo Santaolalla is an Argentine musician, film composer and producer. He has won two Academy Awards for Best Original Score in two consecutive years, for Brokeback Mountain in 2005 and Babel in 2006.-Life and career:...
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It's Hard Out Here for a Pimp "It's Hard out Here for a Pimp" is an Oscar winning song, written by hip hop band Three 6 Mafia and Cedric Coleman, for the film, Hustle & Flow. It was ranked #80 on VH1's "100 Greatest Songs of Hip Hop".-Academy Award:... " from Hustle & Flow Hustle & Flow Hustle & Flow is a 2005 independent drama film written and directed by Craig Brewer and produced by John Singleton. Terrence Howard stars as a Memphis hustler and pimp who faces his aspiration to become a rapper... – Music and Lyric by Jordan Houston, Cedric Coleman and Paul Beauregard
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| [Academy Award for Best Sound Editing|Best Sound Editing]] | [Academy Award for Best Sound|Best Sound Mixing]] |
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King Kong (2005 film) King Kong is a 2005 fantasy adventure film directed by Peter Jackson. It is a remake of the 1933 film of the same name and stars Naomi Watts, Jack Black and Adrien Brody. Andy Serkis, through performance capture, portrays Kong.... – Mike Hopkins and Ethan Van der Ryn Memoirs of a Geisha (film) Memoirs of a Geisha is a 2005 film adaptation of the novel of the same name, produced by Steven Spielberg's Amblin Entertainment and Spyglass Entertainment and by Douglas Wick's Red Wagon Productions. It was directed by Rob Marshall. It was released in the United States on December 9, 2005 by... – Wylie Stateman Wylie Stateman Wylie Stateman is an American-born supervising sound editor. Stateman’s been nominated for multiple industry awards, including five Academy Awards, four BAFTA Awards and 15 Motion Picture Sound Editor Awards... War of the Worlds (2005 film) War of the Worlds is a 2005 American science fiction film adaptation of H. G. Wells' novel of the same name, directed by Steven Spielberg and written by Josh Friedman and David Koepp. It is one of three film adaptations of War of the Worlds released that year, alongside The Asylum's version and... – Richard King Richard King (sound designer) Richard King is an American sound designer and editor who has worked on over 70 films. A native of Tampa, Florida, he graduated from Plant High School and the University of South Florida... |
King Kong (2005 film) King Kong is a 2005 fantasy adventure film directed by Peter Jackson. It is a remake of the 1933 film of the same name and stars Naomi Watts, Jack Black and Adrien Brody. Andy Serkis, through performance capture, portrays Kong.... – Christopher Boyes Christopher Boyes Christopher Boyes is an American sound engineer. He has won four Academy Awards and has been nominated for another nine. He has worked on over 70 films since 1991.-Academy Awards:Boyes has won four Academy Awards and has been nominated for another nine:Won... , Michael Semanick Michael Semanick Michael Semanick is an American sound engineer. He has won two Academy Awards for Best Sound and has been nominated for six more in the same category... , Michael Hedges Michael Hedges (sound engineer) Michael Hedges is an American sound engineer. He has won two Academy Awards for Best Sound and has been nominated for another in the same category... and Hammond Peek Hammond Peek Hammond Peek is an American sound engineer. He has won two Academy Awards for Best Sound and has been nominated for another two in the same category.-Selected filmography:Peek has won two Academy Awards and has been nominated for another two:Won...
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| [Academy Award for Best Art Direction|Best Art Direction]] | [Academy Award for Best Cinematography|Best Cinematography]] |
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Memoirs of a Geisha (film) Memoirs of a Geisha is a 2005 film adaptation of the novel of the same name, produced by Steven Spielberg's Amblin Entertainment and Spyglass Entertainment and by Douglas Wick's Red Wagon Productions. It was directed by Rob Marshall. It was released in the United States on December 9, 2005 by... – Art Direction: John Myhre John Myhre John Myhre is an American production designer who has been working in Hollywood since the late 1980s.He received his first Academy Award nomination, for Best Art Direction, in 1998, for Shekhar Kapur's Elizabeth, bringing him to the forefront of Hollywood production designers... ; Set Decoration: Gretchen Rau Gretchen Rau Gretchen Rau was a professional property master, set decorator, and art director in the American film industry... Good Night, and Good Luck. Good Night, and Good Luck. is a 2005 American drama film directed by George Clooney. The film was written by Clooney and Grant Heslov and portrays the conflict between veteran radio and television journalist Edward R. Murrow and U.S... – Art Direction: Jim Bissell; Set Decoration: Jan Pascale Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (film) Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is a 2005 fantasy film directed by Mike Newell and based on the novel of the same name by J. K. Rowling. It is the fourth instalment in the Harry Potter film series, written by Steve Kloves and produced by David Heyman... – Art Direction: Stuart Craig Stuart Craig Norman Stuart Craig OBE is a noted British production designer.He has also designed the sets, together with his frequent collaborator set decorator Stephanie McMillan, on all of the Harry Potter film series films to date. At Potter author J. K... ; Set Decoration: Stephanie McMillan Stephanie McMillan Stephanie McMillan is a set decorator. She is best known for working on all Harry Potter films to date. She picked up three Academy Award nominations for the first, fourth, and seventh films in the series. She won an Oscar, though, in 1996 for The English Patient, an award which she shared with... King Kong (2005 film) King Kong is a 2005 fantasy adventure film directed by Peter Jackson. It is a remake of the 1933 film of the same name and stars Naomi Watts, Jack Black and Adrien Brody. Andy Serkis, through performance capture, portrays Kong.... – Art Direction: Grant Major; Set Decoration: Dan Hennah and Simon Bright Pride & Prejudice (2005 film) Pride & Prejudice is a 2005 British romance film directed by Joe Wright. It is a film adaptation of the 1813 novel of the same name by Jane Austen and the second adaption produced by Working Title Films. It was released on September 16, 2005, in the UK and on November 11, 2005, in the... – Art Direction: Sarah Greenwood Sarah Greenwood Sarah Greenwood is an art director. She has been nominated three times for an Academy Award, in 2006 for Pride and Prejudice, in 2008 for Atonement, and in 2010 for Sherlock Holmes.-References:... ; Set Decoration: Katie Spencer Katie Spencer Katie Spencer is a set director. She has been nominated for an Academy Award thrice: for her set directing in Pride and Prejudice and Atonement; and for her set decoration in Sherlock Holmes. She has worked many films and T.V series with Sarah Greenwood.- External links :... |
Memoirs of a Geisha (film) Memoirs of a Geisha is a 2005 film adaptation of the novel of the same name, produced by Steven Spielberg's Amblin Entertainment and Spyglass Entertainment and by Douglas Wick's Red Wagon Productions. It was directed by Rob Marshall. It was released in the United States on December 9, 2005 by... – Dion Beebe Dion Beebe Dion Beebe, A.C.S., ASC is an Australian cinematographer.Originally from Brisbane, Australia, his family moved to Cape Town, South Africa in 1972...
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| [Academy Award for Best Makeup|Best Makeup]] | [Academy Award for Best Costume Design|Best Costume Design]] |
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The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is a 2005 epic fantasy adventure film directed by Andrew Adamson and based on The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, the first published and second chronological novel in C. S. Lewis's children's epic fantasy series, The Chronicles of... – Howard Berger and Tami Lane Tami Lane Tami Lane is an American prosthetic makeup artist. She was educated in Peoria, Illinois, where she attended Woodruff High School and graduated from Bradley University in 1996 with a Bachelor of Arts with a major in Art and emphasis in Graphic Design. She was also a member of Alpha Chi Omega-Zeta...
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Memoirs of a Geisha (film) Memoirs of a Geisha is a 2005 film adaptation of the novel of the same name, produced by Steven Spielberg's Amblin Entertainment and Spyglass Entertainment and by Douglas Wick's Red Wagon Productions. It was directed by Rob Marshall. It was released in the United States on December 9, 2005 by... – Colleen Atwood Colleen Atwood Colleen Atwood is an American costume designer.Atwood has been nominated for an Academy Award for Best Costume Design nine times and won Academy Awards for the movies Chicago in 2002, Memoirs of a Geisha in 2006, and Alice in Wonderland in 2011. Atwood has collaborated several times with... Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (film) Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is a 2005 film adaptation of the 1964 book of the same name by Roald Dahl. The film was directed by Tim Burton. The film stars Freddie Highmore as Charlie Bucket and Johnny Depp as Willy Wonka... – Gabriella Pescucci Mrs. Henderson Presents Mrs Henderson Presents is a 2005 British comedy film directed by Stephen Frears. It stars Judi Dench, Bob Hoskins, Kelly Reilly, and Will Young in his acting debut.-Plot:... – Sandy Powell Sandy Powell (costume designer) Sandy Powell OBE is a British costume designer who has been nominated nine times for the Academy Award . She won the Oscar in 1999 for the film Shakespeare in Love, in 2005 for The Aviator, and in 2010 for The Young Victoria. She has received nine BAFTA nominations, winning in 1999 for Velvet... Pride & Prejudice (2005 film) Pride & Prejudice is a 2005 British romance film directed by Joe Wright. It is a film adaptation of the 1813 novel of the same name by Jane Austen and the second adaption produced by Working Title Films. It was released on September 16, 2005, in the UK and on November 11, 2005, in the... – Jacqueline Durran Jacqueline Durran Jacqueline Durran is a British costume designer. She won the BAFTA award for Vera Drake. She received considerable attention for her work in Pride & Prejudice , for which she received an Oscar nomination and won a Satellite Award... Walk the Line Walk the Line is a 2005 American biographical drama film directed by James Mangold and based on the early life and career of country music artist Johnny Cash... – Arianne Phillips Arianne Phillips Arianne Phillips is a costume designer. She has also been Madonna's stylist and has designed and styled her last four concert tours. She has worked with Lenny Kravitz, Courtney Love, No Doubt and Justin Timberlake... |
| [Academy Award for Best Film Editing|Best Film Editing]] | [Academy Award for Best Visual Effects|Best Visual Effects]] |
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Crash (2004 film) Crash is a 2004 American drama film co-written, produced, and directed by Paul Haggis. The film is about racial and social tensions in Los Angeles, California. A self-described "passion piece" for Haggis, Crash was inspired by a real life incident in which his Porsche was carjacked outside a video... – Hughes Winborne Hughes Winborne Hughes Winborne is a Hollywood film editor. He has edited 20 films, including Crash, for which he won an Oscar for film editing in the 78th Academy Awards. He also edited Sling Blade and The Pursuit of Happyness ....
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King Kong (2005 film) King Kong is a 2005 fantasy adventure film directed by Peter Jackson. It is a remake of the 1933 film of the same name and stars Naomi Watts, Jack Black and Adrien Brody. Andy Serkis, through performance capture, portrays Kong.... – Joe Letteri Joe Letteri Joe Letteri is a senior visual effects artist, winner of 4 Academy award, 4 BAFTAs and 4 VES. He is the current Director of the Academy Award-winning Weta Digital, having joined the company in 2001. He has been the visual effects supervisor of several movies, his latest work being Avatar... , Brian Van’t Hul, Christian Rivers Christian Rivers Christian Rivers is a New Zealand visual effects art director and filmmaker. He first met Peter Jackson as a 17 year old, and storyboarded all of Jackson's films since Braindead. He also cameos in The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King as a Gondorian soldier. He is set to make his... and Richard Taylor The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is a 2005 epic fantasy adventure film directed by Andrew Adamson and based on The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, the first published and second chronological novel in C. S. Lewis's children's epic fantasy series, The Chronicles of... – Dean Wright, Bill Westenhofer Bill Westenhofer Bill Westenhofer is a VFX supervisor for Rhythm and Hues Studios.He has most recently supervised a team of 400 digital artists on The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, which was nominated for an Oscar for Best Visual Effects, as was his 2007 release The Golden Compass... , Jim Berney and Scott Farrar War of the Worlds (2005 film) War of the Worlds is a 2005 American science fiction film adaptation of H. G. Wells' novel of the same name, directed by Steven Spielberg and written by Josh Friedman and David Koepp. It is one of three film adaptations of War of the Worlds released that year, alongside The Asylum's version and... – Dennis Muren Dennis Muren Dennis Muren, A.S.C. is an American film special effects artist, most notable for his work on the films of Steven Spielberg, James Cameron and George Lucas. He has won eight Oscars for Best Visual Effects.-Early life:... , Pablo Helman, Randal M. Dutra and Daniel Sudick |
Multiple nominations and awards
The following nineteen films received multiple nominations:- Eight: Brokeback MountainBrokeback MountainBrokeback Mountain is a 2005 romantic drama film directed by Ang Lee. It is a film adaptation of the 1997 short story of the same name by Annie Proulx with the screenplay written by Diana Ossana and Larry McMurtry...
- Six: CrashCrash (2004 film)Crash is a 2004 American drama film co-written, produced, and directed by Paul Haggis. The film is about racial and social tensions in Los Angeles, California. A self-described "passion piece" for Haggis, Crash was inspired by a real life incident in which his Porsche was carjacked outside a video...
, Good Night, and Good Luck.Good Night, and Good Luck.Good Night, and Good Luck. is a 2005 American drama film directed by George Clooney. The film was written by Clooney and Grant Heslov and portrays the conflict between veteran radio and television journalist Edward R. Murrow and U.S...
, and Memoirs of a GeishaMemoirs of a Geisha (film)Memoirs of a Geisha is a 2005 film adaptation of the novel of the same name, produced by Steven Spielberg's Amblin Entertainment and Spyglass Entertainment and by Douglas Wick's Red Wagon Productions. It was directed by Rob Marshall. It was released in the United States on December 9, 2005 by... - Five: CapoteCapote (film)Capote is a 2005 biographical film about Truman Capote, following the events during the writing of Capote's non-fiction book In Cold Blood. Philip Seymour Hoffman won several awards, including the Academy Award for Best Actor, for his critically acclaimed portrayal of the title role. The movie was...
, MunichMunich (film)Munich is a 2005 historical fiction film about the Israeli government's secret retaliation attacks after the massacre of Israeli athletes by the Black September terrorist group during the 1972 Summer Olympics. The film stars Eric Bana and was produced and directed by Steven Spielberg...
, and Walk the LineWalk the LineWalk the Line is a 2005 American biographical drama film directed by James Mangold and based on the early life and career of country music artist Johnny Cash... - Four: King KongKing Kong (2005 film)King Kong is a 2005 fantasy adventure film directed by Peter Jackson. It is a remake of the 1933 film of the same name and stars Naomi Watts, Jack Black and Adrien Brody. Andy Serkis, through performance capture, portrays Kong....
, Pride & PrejudicePride & Prejudice (2005 film)Pride & Prejudice is a 2005 British romance film directed by Joe Wright. It is a film adaptation of the 1813 novel of the same name by Jane Austen and the second adaption produced by Working Title Films. It was released on September 16, 2005, in the UK and on November 11, 2005, in the...
, and The Constant GardenerThe Constant Gardener (film)The Constant Gardener is a 2005 drama film directed by Fernando Meirelles. The screenplay by Jeffrey Caine is based on the John le Carré novel of the same name. It tells the story of Justin Quayle, a man who seeks to find the motivating forces behind his wife's murder.The film stars Ralph Fiennes,... - Three: Cinderella ManCinderella ManCinderella Man is a 2005 American drama film by Ron Howard, titled after the nickname of heavyweight boxing champion James J. Braddock and inspired by his life story. The film was produced by Howard, Penny Marshall, and Brian Grazer.-Plot:James J...
, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the WardrobeThe Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the WardrobeThe Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is a 2005 epic fantasy adventure film directed by Andrew Adamson and based on The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, the first published and second chronological novel in C. S. Lewis's children's epic fantasy series, The Chronicles of...
, and War of the WorldsWar of the Worlds (2005 film)War of the Worlds is a 2005 American science fiction film adaptation of H. G. Wells' novel of the same name, directed by Steven Spielberg and written by Josh Friedman and David Koepp. It is one of three film adaptations of War of the Worlds released that year, alongside The Asylum's version and... - Two: A History of ViolenceA History of Violence (film)A History of Violence is a 2005 American crime thriller film directed by David Cronenberg and written by Josh Olson. It is an adaptation of the 1997 graphic novel of the same name by John Wagner and Vince Locke...
, Hustle & FlowHustle & FlowHustle & Flow is a 2005 independent drama film written and directed by Craig Brewer and produced by John Singleton. Terrence Howard stars as a Memphis hustler and pimp who faces his aspiration to become a rapper...
, Mrs Henderson Presents, North CountryNorth Country (film)North Country is a 2005 American drama film directed by Niki Caro. The screenplay by Michael Seitzman was inspired by the 2002 book Class Action: The Story of Lois Jenson and the Landmark Case That Changed Sexual Harassment Law by Clara Bingham and Laura Leedy Gansler, which chronicled the case of...
, SyrianaSyrianaSyriana is a 2005 geopolitical thriller film written and directed by Stephen Gaghan, and executive produced by George Clooney, who also stars in the film with an ensemble cast. Gaghan's screenplay is loosely adapted from Robert Baer's memoir See No Evil...
, and TransamericaTransamerica (film)Transamerica is a 2005 independent comedy-drama film produced by IFC Films and The Weinstein Company. The film tells the story of Bree, a transsexual woman , who goes on a road trip with her long-lost son Toby ....
The following four films each received multiple awards:
- Three: Brokeback MountainBrokeback MountainBrokeback Mountain is a 2005 romantic drama film directed by Ang Lee. It is a film adaptation of the 1997 short story of the same name by Annie Proulx with the screenplay written by Diana Ossana and Larry McMurtry...
, CrashCrash (2004 film)Crash is a 2004 American drama film co-written, produced, and directed by Paul Haggis. The film is about racial and social tensions in Los Angeles, California. A self-described "passion piece" for Haggis, Crash was inspired by a real life incident in which his Porsche was carjacked outside a video...
, King KongKing Kong (2005 film)King Kong is a 2005 fantasy adventure film directed by Peter Jackson. It is a remake of the 1933 film of the same name and stars Naomi Watts, Jack Black and Adrien Brody. Andy Serkis, through performance capture, portrays Kong....
, and Memoirs of a GeishaMemoirs of a Geisha (film)Memoirs of a Geisha is a 2005 film adaptation of the novel of the same name, produced by Steven Spielberg's Amblin Entertainment and Spyglass Entertainment and by Douglas Wick's Red Wagon Productions. It was directed by Rob Marshall. It was released in the United States on December 9, 2005 by...
Academy Award ceremony presenters and performers
| Name | Role | Activity |
|---|---|---|
| Jessica Alba Jessica Alba Jessica Marie Alba is an American television and film actress. She began her television and movie appearances at age 13 in Camp Nowhere and The Secret World of Alex Mack . Alba rose to prominence as the lead actress in the television series Dark Angel... |
Presenter | Co-presented with Eric Bana the Academy Award for Sound Mixing Academy Award for Sound The Academy Award for Sound Mixing is an Academy Award that recognizes the finest or most euphonic sound mixing or recording, and is generally awarded to the production sound mixers and re-recording mixers of the winning film. Compare this award to the Academy Award for Sound Editing... |
| Jennifer Aniston Jennifer Aniston Jennifer Joanna Aniston is an American actress, film director, and producer, best known for her role as Rachel Green on the television sitcom Friends, a role which earned her an Emmy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a Screen Actors Guild Award.Aniston has also enjoyed a successful film career,... |
Presenter | Presented the Academy Award for Costume Design Academy Award for Costume Design The Academy Award for Best Costume Design is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for achievement in film costume design.... |
| Lauren Bacall Lauren Bacall Lauren Bacall is an American film and stage actress and model, known for her distinctive husky voice and sultry looks.She first emerged as leading lady in the Humphrey Bogart film To Have And Have Not and continued on in the film noir genre, with appearances in The Big Sleep and Dark Passage ,... |
Presenter | Introduced a tribute to Film noir Film noir Film noir is a cinematic term used primarily to describe stylish Hollywood crime dramas, particularly those that emphasize cynical attitudes and sexual motivations. Hollywood's classic film noir period is generally regarded as extending from the early 1940s to the late 1950s... (several of the clips featured Bacall) |
| Eric Bana Eric Bana Eric Bana is an Australian film and television actor. He began his career as a comedian in the sketch comedy series Full Frontal before gaining critical recognition in the biopic Chopper... |
Presenter | Co-presented with Jessica Alba the Academy Award for Sound Mixing |
| Zach Braff Zach Braff Zachary Israel "Zach" Braff is an American actor, screenwriter, producer, comedian, and director. Braff first became known in 2001 for his role as Dr. John Dorian on the television series Scrubs, for which he was nominated for an Emmy Award and three Golden Globe Awards.In 2004, Braff made his... |
Presenter | Co-presented (as Chicken Little) with Joan Cusack Joan Cusack Joan Mary Cusack is an American film, stage and television actress. Throughout her career, Cusack has appeared in many films as well as appearing in stage productions.... (as Abby Mallard) the Academy Award for Animated Short Film |
| Sandra Bullock Sandra Bullock Sandra Annette Bullock is an Academy Award winning American actress and producer who rose to fame in the 1990s after roles in successful films such as Demolition Man, Speed, The Net, A Time to Kill, and While You Were Sleeping. She continued with films such as Miss Congeniality, The Lake House,... |
Presenter | Co-presented with Keanu Reeves the Academy Award for Best Art Direction Academy Award for Best Art Direction The Academy Awards are the oldest awards ceremony for achievements in motion pictures. The Academy Award for Best Art Direction recognizes achievement in art direction on a film. The films below are listed with their production year, so the Oscar 2000 for best art direction went to a film from 1999... |
| Steve Carell Steve Carell Steven John "Steve" Carell is an American comedian, actor, voice artist, producer, writer, and director. Although Carell is notable for his role on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, he found greater fame in the late 2000s for playing Michael Scott on The Office... |
Presenter | Co-presented with Will Ferrell the Academy Award for Makeup Academy Award for Makeup The Academy Award for Best Makeup is the Oscar given to the best achievement in makeup for film. Usually, only three films are nominated each year rather than five as in most categories... |
| Stephen Colbert Stephen Colbert Stephen Tyrone Colbert is an American political satirist, writer, comedian, television host, and actor. He is the host of Comedy Central's The Colbert Report, a satirical news show in which Colbert portrays a caricatured version of conservative political pundits.Colbert originally studied to be an... |
Narrator | Narrated the spoof ads jokingly attacking nominees (did not appear in the ceremony). |
| George Clooney George Clooney George Timothy Clooney is an American actor, film director, producer, and screenwriter. For his work as an actor, he has received two Golden Globe Awards and an Academy Award... |
Presenter | Introduced the In Memoriam segment: Those that were featured included: Teresa Wright Teresa Wright Teresa Wright was an American actress. She received the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in 1942 for her performance in Mrs. Miniver. That same year, she received an Academy Award for Best Actress nomination for her performance in Pride of the Yankees opposite Gary Cooper... , Pat Morita Pat Morita Noriyuki "Pat" Morita was an American actor of Japanese descent who was well-known for playing the roles of Matsuo "Arnold" Takahashi on Happy Days and Mr. Miyagi in the The Karate Kid movie series, for which he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in 1984.-Early life:Pat... , producer Robert F. Newmeyer, Dan O'Herlihy Dan O'Herlihy Daniel O'Herlihy was an Oscar nominated Irish film actor.-Early life:O'Herlihy was born in Wexford, Ireland in 1919. His family moved to Dublin at a young age... , Vincent Schiavelli Vincent Schiavelli Vincent Andrew Schiavelli was an American character actor noted for his work on stage, screen, and television often described as "the man with the sad eyes." He was notable for his numerous and often critically acclaimed cameo appearances.-Early life:Schiavelli was born in Brooklyn, New York, to a... , voice actor Joe Ranft Joe Ranft Joseph Henry "Joe" Ranft was an American screenwriter, animator, storyboard artist and voice actor who worked for Pixar and Disney. His brother, Jerome Ranft, is a sculptor who also worked on several Pixar movies.... , Moira Shearer Moira Shearer Moira Shearer, Lady Kennedy , was an internationally famous Scottish ballet dancer and actress.-Early life:She was born Moira Shearer King in Dunfermline, Fife, Scotland, the daughter of actor Harold V. King... , Fayard Nicholas Fayard Nicholas Fayard Antonio Nicholas... , editor Stu Linder Stu Linder Stewart Bridgewater "Stu" Linder was an American film editor with 25 credits. He shared the Academy Award for Film Editing for the 1966 film Grand Prix , which was the very first film on which Linder was credited as an editor... , Sandra Dee Sandra Dee Sandra Dee was an American actress. Dee began her career as a model and progressed to film. Best known for her portrayal of ingenues, Dee won a Golden Globe Award in 1959 as one of the year's most promising newcomers, and over several years her films were popular... , John Fiedler John Fiedler John Donald Fiedler was an American voice actor and character actor in stage, film, television and radio. He was slight, balding, and bespectacled, with a distinctive, high-pitched voice and a career lasting more than 55 years.He is best remembered for four roles: as the nervous Juror #2 in 12... , Anthony Franciosa Anthony Franciosa Anthony Franciosa was an American actor, usually billed as Tony Franciosa during the height of his career.-Early life:... , composer Joel Hirschhorn Joel Hirschhorn Joel Hirschhorn, , was an American songwriter. During a successful career, he won the Academy Award for Best Song on two occasions... , director/cinematographer Guy Green, Barbara Bel Geddes Barbara Bel Geddes Barbara Bel Geddes was an American actress, artist and children's author. She is best known for her role in the television drama series Dallas as matriarch Eleanor "Miss Ellie" Ewing. Bel Geddes also starred in the original Broadway production of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof in the role of Maggie... , sound designer Robert Knudson Robert Knudson Robert Knudson was an American sound engineer. He won three Academy Awards for Best Sound and was nominated for seven more in the same category... , producer Moustapha Akkad Moustapha Akkad Moustapha Akkad was a Syrian American film producer and director, best known for producing the series of Halloween films and directing Mohammad, Messenger of God and Lion of the Desert. He was killed along with his daughter Rima Akkad Monla in 2005 in Amman, Jordan by a suicide bomber.-Early life... , Chris Penn Chris Penn Christopher Shannon "Chris" Penn was an American film and television actor known for his roles in such films as The Wild Life, Reservoir Dogs, Footloose, Rush Hour, True Romance, All the Right Moves and Pale Rider.-Early life:Penn was born in Los Angeles, California, the youngest son of Leo Penn,... , John Mills John Mills Sir John Mills CBE , born Lewis Ernest Watts Mills, was an English actor who made more than 120 films in a career spanning seven decades.-Life and career:... , choreographer Onna White Onna White Onna White was a Canadian choreographer and dancer nominated for eight Tony Awards.-Career:Born in Inverness, Nova Scotia, White began taking dance lessons at the age of twelve, and eventually her studies took her to the famed San Francisco Ballet Company, where she danced in the first full-length... , producer Debra Hill Debra Hill Debra Hill was an American screenwriter and film producer, who co-wrote the horror film Halloween, its first sequel Halloween II, and The Fog.-Early life:... , Simone Simon Simone Simon Simone Thérèse Fernande Simon was a French film actress who began her film career in 1931.-Early life:Born in Béthune, Pas-de-Calais France, she was the daughter of Henri Louis Firmin Champmoynat, a French engineer, airplane pilot in World War II, who died in a concentration camp, and Erma Maria... , make-up artist Robert J. Schiffer, Brock Peters Brock Peters Brock Peters was an American actor, best known for playing the role of Tom Robinson in the 1962 film To Kill a Mockingbird... , screenwriter Ernest Lehman Ernest Lehman Ernest Lehman was an American screenwriter. He received 6 Academy Award nominations during his screenwriting career... , Shelley Winters Shelley Winters Shelley Winters was an American actress who appeared in dozens of films, as well as on stage and television; her career spanned over 50 years until her death in 2006... , Anne Bancroft Anne Bancroft Anne Bancroft was an American actress associated with the Method acting school, which she had studied under Lee Strasberg.... , production designer John Box John Box John Allan Hyatt Box OBE, , was a British film production designer and art director. During his career he won the Academy Award for Best Art Direction on four occasions and won its BAFTA equivalent three times, making him the most decorated film designer of all time... , Eddie Albert Eddie Albert Edward Albert Heimberger , known professionally as Eddie Albert, was an American actor and activist. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in 1954 for his performance in Roman Holiday, and in 1973 for The Heartbreak Kid.Other well-known screen roles of his include Bing... , producer Ismail Merchant Ismail Merchant Ismail Merchant was an Indian-born film producer, best known for the results of his famously long collaboration with Merchant Ivory Productions which included director James Ivory as well as screenwriter Ruth Prawer Jhabvala... , director Robert Wise Robert Wise Robert Earl Wise was an American sound effects editor, film editor, film producer and director... and Richard Pryor Richard Pryor Richard Franklin Lennox Thomas Pryor was an American stand-up comedian, actor, social critic, writer and MC. Pryor was known for uncompromising examinations of racism and topical contemporary issues, which employed colorful vulgarities, and profanity, as well as racial epithets... . |
| Russell Crowe Russell Crowe Russell Ira Crowe is a New Zealander Australian actor , film producer and musician. He came to international attention for his role as Roman General Maximus Decimus Meridius in the 2000 historical epic film Gladiator, directed by Ridley Scott, for which he won an Academy Award for Best Actor, a... |
Presenter | Introduced a tribute to Biographical film Biographical film A biographical film, or biopic , is a film that dramatizes the life of an actual person or people. They differ from films “based on a true story” or “historical films” in that they attempt to comprehensively tell a person’s life story or at least the most historically important years of their... |
| Joan Cusack Joan Cusack Joan Mary Cusack is an American film, stage and television actress. Throughout her career, Cusack has appeared in many films as well as appearing in stage productions.... |
Presenter | Co-presented (as Abby Mallard) with Zach Braff Zach Braff Zachary Israel "Zach" Braff is an American actor, screenwriter, producer, comedian, and director. Braff first became known in 2001 for his role as Dr. John Dorian on the television series Scrubs, for which he was nominated for an Emmy Award and three Golden Globe Awards.In 2004, Braff made his... (as Chicken Little) the Academy Award for Animated Short Film Academy Award for Animated Short Film The Academy Award for Animated Short Film is an award which has been given by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences as part of the Academy Awards every year since the 5th Academy Awards, covering the year 1931-32, to the present.... |
| Will Ferrell Will Ferrell John William "Will" Ferrell is an American comedian, impressionist, actor, and writer. Ferrell first established himself in the late 1990s as a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live, and has subsequently starred in the comedy films Old School, Elf, Anchorman, Talladega... |
Presenter | Co-presented with Steve Carell the Academy Award for Makeup Academy Award for Makeup The Academy Award for Best Makeup is the Oscar given to the best achievement in makeup for film. Usually, only three films are nominated each year rather than five as in most categories... |
| Jamie Foxx Jamie Foxx Eric Marlon Bishop , professionally known as Jamie Foxx, is an American actor, singer-songwriter, stand-up comedian, and talk radio host. As an actor, his work in the film Ray earned him the Academy Award and BAFTA Award for Best Actor as well as the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a... |
Presenter | Presented the Academy Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role Academy Award for Best Actress Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role is one of the Academy Awards of merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance while working within the film industry... |
| Morgan Freeman Morgan Freeman Morgan Freeman is an American actor, film director, aviator and narrator. He is noted for his reserved demeanor and authoritative speaking voice. Freeman has received Academy Award nominations for his performances in Street Smart, Driving Miss Daisy, The Shawshank Redemption and Invictus and won... |
Presenter | Presented the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance while working within the film industry. Since its inception, however, the... |
| Jennifer Garner Jennifer Garner Jennifer Anne Affleck , better known as Jennifer Garner, is an American actress and film producer. Garner gained recognition on television for her performance as CIA agent Sydney Bristow in the thriller drama series Alias, which aired on ABC for five seasons from 2001 to 2006... |
Presenter | Presented the Academy Award for Sound Editing Academy Award for Sound Editing The Academy Award of Merit for Best Sound Editing is an Academy Award granted yearly to a film exhibiting the finest or most aesthetic sound editing or sound design... |
| Jake Gyllenhaal Jake Gyllenhaal Jacob Benjamin "Jake" Gyllenhaal is an American actor. The son of director Stephen Gyllenhaal and screenwriter Naomi Foner, Gyllenhaal began acting at age ten... |
Presenter | Introduced a segment on epic film Epic film An epic is a genre of film that emphasizes human drama on a grand scale. Epics are more ambitious in scope than other film genres, and their ambitious nature helps to differentiate them from similar genres such as the period piece or adventure film... s |
| Tom Hanks Tom Hanks Thomas Jeffrey "Tom" Hanks is an American actor, producer, writer, and director. Hanks worked in television and family-friendly comedies, gaining wide notice in 1988's Big, before achieving success as a dramatic actor in several notable roles, including Andrew Beckett in Philadelphia, the title... |
Presenter | Presented the Academy Award for Best Director Academy Award for Directing The Academy Award for Achievement in Directing , usually known as the Best Director Oscar, is one of the Awards of Merit presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to directors working in the motion picture industry... |
| Salma Hayek Salma Hayek Salma Valgarma Hayek Jiménez de Pinault is a Mexican film actress, director and producer. She received an Oscar nomination for Best Actress for her role as Frida Kahlo in the film Frida.-Early life:... |
Presenter | Presented the Academy Award for Original Music Score Academy Award for Original Music Score The Academy Award for Original Score is presented to the best substantial body of music in the form of dramatic underscoring written specifically for the film by the submitting composer.-Superlatives:... |
| Dustin Hoffman Dustin Hoffman Dustin Lee Hoffman is an American actor with a career in film, television, and theatre since 1960. He has been known for his versatile portrayals of antiheroes and vulnerable characters.... |
Presenter | Presented the Academy Award for Writing Adapted Screenplay Academy Award for Writing Adapted Screenplay The Academy Award for Writing Adapted Screenplay is one of the Academy Awards, the most prominent film awards in the United States. It is awarded each year to the writer of a screenplay adapted from another source... |
| Terrence Howard Terrence Howard Terrence Dashon Howard is an American actor. Having his first major role in the 1995 film Mr. Holland's Opus, which subsequently led to a number of roles in films and high visibility among African American audiences. Howard broke into the mainstream with a succession of well-reviewed television... |
Presenter | Presented the Academy Award for Documentary Short Subject Academy Award for Documentary Short Subject This is a list of films by year that have received an Oscar together with the other nominations for best documentary short subject. Following the Academy's practice, the year listed for each film is the year of release: the awards are announced and presented early in the following year.-1940s:*1941... |
| Samuel L. Jackson Samuel L. Jackson Samuel Leroy Jackson is an American film and television actor and film producer. After becoming involved with the Civil Rights Movement, he moved on to acting in theater at Morehouse College, and then films. He had several small roles such as in the film Goodfellas before meeting his mentor,... |
Presenter | Introduced a segment on political films |
| Tom Kane Tom Kane Tom Kane is a prominent American voice actor with over 25 years of experience. He is most widely known for his animation work... |
Announcer | Announcer for the 78th Annual Academy Awards |
| Nicole Kidman Nicole Kidman Nicole Mary Kidman, AC is an American-born Australian actress, singer, film producer, spokesmodel, and humanitarian. After starring in a number of small Australian films and TV shows, Kidman's breakthrough was in the 1989 thriller Dead Calm... |
Presenter | Presented the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize an actor who has delivered an outstanding performance while working within the film industry. Since its inception, however, the... |
| Queen Latifah Queen Latifah Dana Elaine Owens , better known by her stage name Queen Latifah, is an American singer, rapper, and actress. Her work in music, film and television has earned her a Golden Globe award, two Screen Actors Guild Awards, two Image Awards, a Grammy Award, six additional Grammy nominations, an Emmy... |
Presenter | Presented the Academy Award for Best Song |
| Chris 'Ludacris' Bridges Ludacris Christopher Brian Bridges , better known by his stage name Ludacris, is an American rapper and actor. Along with his manager, Chaka Zulu, Ludacris is the co-founder of Disturbing tha Peace, an imprint distributed by Def Jam Recordings... |
Presenter | Introduced the performance of "It's Hard out Here for a Pimp" |
| Jennifer Lopez Jennifer Lopez Jennifer Lynn Lopez is an American actress, singer, record producer, dancer, television personality, and fashion designer. Lopez began her career as a dancer on the television comedy program In Living Color. Subsequently venturing into acting, she gained recognition in the 1995 action-thriller... |
Presenter | Introduced the performance of "In the Deep" |
| Rachel McAdams Rachel McAdams Rachel Anne McAdams is a Canadian actress. After graduating from a theatre program at York University, Toronto in 2001, she worked steadily as an actress until finding fame in 2004 with starring roles in teen comedy Mean Girls and romantic drama The Notebook... |
Host | Hosted the Scientific and Technical Awards on February 18 |
| Jack Nicholson Jack Nicholson John Joseph "Jack" Nicholson is an American actor, film director, producer and writer. He is renowned for his often dark portrayals of neurotic characters. Nicholson has been nominated for an Academy Award twelve times, and has won the Academy Award for Best Actor twice: for One Flew Over the... |
Presenter | Presented the Academy Award for Best Picture Academy Award for Best Picture The Academy Award for Best Picture is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to artists working in the motion picture industry. The Best Picture category is the only category in which every member of the Academy is eligible not only... |
| Dolly Parton Dolly Parton Dolly Rebecca Parton is an American singer-songwriter, author, multi-instrumentalist, actress and philanthropist, best known for her work in country music. Dolly Parton has appeared in movies like 9 to 5, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, Steel Magnolias and Straight Talk... |
Performer | Performed "Travelin' Thru", from Transamerica Transamerica (film) Transamerica is a 2005 independent comedy-drama film produced by IFC Films and The Weinstein Company. The film tells the story of Bree, a transsexual woman , who goes on a road trip with her long-lost son Toby .... |
| Itzhak Perlman Itzhak Perlman Itzhak Perlman is an Israeli-born violinist, conductor, and instructor of master classes. He is regarded as one of the pre-eminent violinists of the 20th and early-21st centuries.-Early life:... |
Performer | Performed musical selections from the movies nominated for "Best Original Score" |
| Keanu Reeves Keanu Reeves Keanu Charles Reeves is a Canadian actor. Reeves is perhaps best known for his roles in Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure, Speed, Point Break and the science fiction-action trilogy The Matrix... |
Presenter | Co-presented with Sandra Bullock the Academy Award for Best Art Direction |
| Will Smith Will Smith Willard Christopher "Will" Smith, Jr. , also known by his stage name The Fresh Prince, is an American actor, producer, and rapper. He has enjoyed success in television, film and music. In April 2007, Newsweek called him the most powerful actor in Hollywood... |
Presenter | Presented the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film The Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film is one of the Academy Awards of Merit, popularly known as the Oscars, handed out annually by the U.S.-based Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences... |
| Jon Stewart Jon Stewart Jon Stewart is an American political satirist, writer, television host, actor, media critic and stand-up comedian... |
Host | Hosted the 78th Academy Awards |
| Ben Stiller Ben Stiller Benjamin Edward "Ben" Stiller is an American comedian, actor, writer, film director, and producer. He is the son of veteran comedians and actors Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara.... |
Presenter | Presented the Academy Award for Visual Effects Academy Award for Visual Effects The Academy Award for Visual Effects is an Academy Award given for the best achievement in visual effects.-History of the award:The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences first recognized the technical contributions of special effects to movies at its inaugural dinner in 1928, presenting a... |
| Meryl Streep Meryl Streep Mary Louise "Meryl" Streep is an American actress who has worked in theatre, television and film.Streep made her professional stage debut in 1971's The Playboy of Seville, before her screen debut in the television movie The Deadliest Season in 1977. In that same year, she made her film debut with... |
Presenter | Co-presented with Lily Tomlin the Honorary Academy Award to Robert Altman Robert Altman Robert Bernard Altman was an American film director and screenwriter known for making films that are highly naturalistic, but with a stylized perspective. In 2006, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences recognized his body of work with an Academy Honorary Award.His films MASH , McCabe and... |
| Lily Tomlin Lily Tomlin Mary Jean "Lily" Tomlin is an American actress, comedienne, writer, and producer. Tomlin has been a major force in American comedy since the late 1960's when she began a career as a stand up comedian and became a featured performer on television's Laugh-in... |
Presenter | Co-presented with Meryl Streep the Honorary Academy Award to Robert Altman |
| Hilary Swank Hilary Swank Hilary Ann Swank is an American actress. Swank's film career began with a small part in Buffy the Vampire Slayer and then a major part in The Next Karate Kid , as Julie Pierce, the first female protégé of sensei Mr. Miyagi... |
Presenter | Presented the Academy Award for Best Actor Academy Award for Best Actor Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize an actor who has delivered an outstanding performance while working within the film industry... |
| Charlize Theron Charlize Theron Charlize Theron is a South African actress, film producer and former fashion model.She rose to fame in the late 1990s following her roles in 2 Days in the Valley, Mighty Joe Young, The Devil's Advocate and The Cider House Rules... |
Presenter | Presented the Academy Award for Documentary Feature Academy Award for Documentary Feature The Academy Award for Documentary Feature is among the most prestigious awards for documentary films.- Winners and nominees:Following the Academy's practice, films are listed below by the award year... |
| Three 6 Mafia Three 6 Mafia Three 6 Mafia are an Academy Award-winning, American rap group originating from Memphis, Tennessee. Formed in 1991 as Triple 6 Mafia, by DJ Paul, Juicy J, & Lord Infamous, the group at its most featured six members including; Crunchy Black, Gangsta Boo and Koopsta Knicca... with Taraji P. Henson Taraji P. Henson Taraji Penda Henson is an American actress and singer. She is best known for her roles as Yvette in Baby Boy , Shug in Hustle and Flow and Queenie in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button , for which she was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in 2009... |
Performers | Performed "It's Hard Out Here for a Pimp", from Hustle & Flow Hustle & Flow Hustle & Flow is a 2005 independent drama film written and directed by Craig Brewer and produced by John Singleton. Terrence Howard stars as a Memphis hustler and pimp who faces his aspiration to become a rapper... |
| Uma Thurman Uma Thurman Uma Karuna Thurman is an American actress and model. She has performed in leading roles in a variety of films, ranging from romantic comedies and dramas to science fiction and action movies. Among her best-known roles are those in the Quentin Tarantino films Pulp Fiction and Kill Bill... |
Presenter | Presented the Academy Award for Writing Original Screenplay |
| John Travolta John Travolta John Joseph Travolta is an American actor, dancer and singer. Travolta first became known in the 1970s, after appearing on the television series Welcome Back, Kotter and starring in the box office successes Saturday Night Fever and Grease... |
Presenter | Presented the Academy Award for Best Cinematography Academy Award for Best Cinematography The Academy Award for Best Cinematography is an Academy Award awarded each year to a cinematographer for work in one particular motion picture.-History:... |
| Naomi Watts Naomi Watts Naomi Ellen Watts is a British actress. Watts began her career in Australian television, where she appeared in series such as Hey Dad..! , Brides of Christ , and Home and Away . Her film debut was the 1986 drama For Love Alone... |
Presenter | Introduced the performance of "Travelin' Thru" |
| Luke Wilson Luke Wilson Luke Cunningham Wilson is an American film actor known for his roles in Old School, Bottle Rocket, The Royal Tenenbaums, Legally Blonde, Idiocracy and Death at a Funeral.-Early life:... |
Presenter | Co-presented with Owen Wilson the Academy Award for Live Action Short Film Academy Award for Live Action Short Film This name for the Academy Award for Live Action Short Film was introduced in 1974. For the three preceding years it was known as "Short Subjects, Live Action Films." The term "Short Subjects, Live Action Subjects" was used from 1957 until 1970. From 1936 until 1956 there were two separate... |
| Owen Wilson Owen Wilson Owen Cunningham Wilson is an American actor and writer, known for his roles in the films The Haunting, The Royal Tenenbaums, Zoolander, Meet the Parents, Wedding Crashers, You, Me and Dupree, Bottle Rocket, the Cars series, The Darjeeling Limited, Marley & Me, Midnight in Paris, Shanghai Noon,... |
Presenter | Co-presented with Luke Wilson the Academy Award for Live Action Short Film |
| Reese Witherspoon Reese Witherspoon Laura Jeanne Reese Witherspoon , better known as Reese Witherspoon, is an American actress and film producer. Witherspoon landed her first feature role as the female lead in the film The Man in the Moon in 1991; later that year she made her television acting debut, in the cable movie Wildflower... |
Presenter | Presented the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature Academy Award for Best Animated Feature The Academy Award for Best Animated Feature is one of the annual awards given by the Los Angeles-based professional organization, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences... |
| Kathleen York Kathleen York Kathleen "Bird" York is an actress, screenwriter and Oscar nominated songwriter-recording artist.As a screenwriter, York has written projects for John Wells Warner Brothers, Sony, Paramount and has just completed a one hour pilot for Fox Television Studios... |
Performer | Performed "In the Deep", from Crash Crash (2004 film) Crash is a 2004 American drama film co-written, produced, and directed by Paul Haggis. The film is about racial and social tensions in Los Angeles, California. A self-described "passion piece" for Haggis, Crash was inspired by a real life incident in which his Porsche was carjacked outside a video... |
| Ziyi Zhang | Presenter | Presented the Academy Award for Film Editing Academy Award for Film Editing The Academy Award for Film Editing is one of the annual awards of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Nominations for this award are closely correlated with the Academy Award for Best Picture. Since 1981, every film selected as Best Picture has also been nominated for the Film Editing... |
In addition, previous Academy Awards hosts Billy Crystal
Billy Crystal
William Edward "Billy" Crystal is an American actor, writer, producer, comedian and film director. He gained prominence in the 1970s for playing Jodie Dallas on the ABC sitcom Soap and became a Hollywood film star during the late 1980s and 1990s, appearing in the critical and box office successes...
, Chris Rock
Chris Rock
Christopher Julius "Chris" Rock III is an American comedian, actor, screenwriter, television producer, film producer and director. He was voted in the US as the 5th greatest stand-up comedian of all time by Comedy Central...
, Steve Martin
Steve Martin
Stephen Glenn "Steve" Martin is an American actor, comedian, writer, playwright, producer, musician and composer....
, David Letterman
David Letterman
David Michael Letterman is an American television host and comedian. He hosts the late night television talk show, Late Show with David Letterman, broadcast on CBS. Letterman has been a fixture on late night television since the 1982 debut of Late Night with David Letterman on NBC...
and Whoopi Goldberg
Whoopi Goldberg
Whoopi Goldberg is an American comedian, actress, singer-songwriter, political activist, author and talk show host.Goldberg made her film debut in The Color Purple playing Celie, a mistreated black woman in the Deep South. She received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress and won...
, as well as George Clooney, Mel Gibson
Mel Gibson
Mel Colm-Cille Gerard Gibson, AO is an American actor, film director, producer and screenwriter. Born in Peekskill, New York, Gibson moved with his parents to Sydney, Australia when he was 12 years old and later studied acting at the Australian National Institute of Dramatic Art.After appearing in...
and Halle Berry
Halle Berry
Halle Berry is an American actress and a former fashion model. Berry received an Emmy, Golden Globe, SAG, and an NAACP Image Award for Introducing Dorothy Dandridge and won an Academy Award for Best Actress and was nominated for a BAFTA Award in 2001 for her performance in Monster's Ball, becoming...
participated in a pre-taped comedy skit at the start of the broadcast. Tom Hanks
Tom Hanks
Thomas Jeffrey "Tom" Hanks is an American actor, producer, writer, and director. Hanks worked in television and family-friendly comedies, gaining wide notice in 1988's Big, before achieving success as a dramatic actor in several notable roles, including Andrew Beckett in Philadelphia, the title...
, in addition to presenting an award, was also featured in a pre-taped skit about keeping acceptance speeches within the time limits.
Opening/Montages/Trivia
- The opening featured former hosts who pretended to be declining to host again, with film-based settings including a quick parody of the tent scene from Brokeback Mountain, with Billy CrystalBilly CrystalWilliam Edward "Billy" Crystal is an American actor, writer, producer, comedian and film director. He gained prominence in the 1970s for playing Jodie Dallas on the ABC sitcom Soap and became a Hollywood film star during the late 1980s and 1990s, appearing in the critical and box office successes...
and Chris RockChris RockChristopher Julius "Chris" Rock III is an American comedian, actor, screenwriter, television producer, film producer and director. He was voted in the US as the 5th greatest stand-up comedian of all time by Comedy Central...
; a family room in a house, with Steve MartinSteve MartinStephen Glenn "Steve" Martin is an American actor, comedian, writer, playwright, producer, musician and composer....
and some lookalike kids; a posh hotel room, with Whoopi GoldbergWhoopi GoldbergWhoopi Goldberg is an American comedian, actress, singer-songwriter, political activist, author and talk show host.Goldberg made her film debut in The Color Purple playing Celie, a mistreated black woman in the Deep South. She received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress and won...
; David LettermanDavid LettermanDavid Michael Letterman is an American television host and comedian. He hosts the late night television talk show, Late Show with David Letterman, broadcast on CBS. Letterman has been a fixture on late night television since the 1982 debut of Late Night with David Letterman on NBC...
babysitting Steve Martin's "kids"; Mel GibsonMel GibsonMel Colm-Cille Gerard Gibson, AO is an American actor, film director, producer and screenwriter. Born in Peekskill, New York, Gibson moved with his parents to Sydney, Australia when he was 12 years old and later studied acting at the Australian National Institute of Dramatic Art.After appearing in...
on the set of his latest movie, ApocalyptoApocalyptoApocalypto is a 2006 American epic action-adventure film directed by Mel Gibson. Set in Yucatan, Mexico, during the declining period of the Maya civilization, Apocalypto depicts the journey of a Mesoamerican tribesman who must escape human sacrifice and rescue his family after the capture and...
; and even Mr. Moviefone. Cut to Jon Stewart being wakened (sharing a bed with Halle BerryHalle BerryHalle Berry is an American actress and a former fashion model. Berry received an Emmy, Golden Globe, SAG, and an NAACP Image Award for Introducing Dorothy Dandridge and won an Academy Award for Best Actress and was nominated for a BAFTA Award in 2001 for her performance in Monster's Ball, becoming...
) and falling asleep again, realizing it's a dream; then awakening again, sharing the bed with George ClooneyGeorge ClooneyGeorge Timothy Clooney is an American actor, film director, producer, and screenwriter. For his work as an actor, he has received two Golden Globe Awards and an Academy Award...
, who advises Stewart it's not a dream, and to get up and get the show started. - The montage sequence after the opening shows western films with scenes involving male characters talking emotionally with perceived innuendo, a reference to Brokeback Mountain. Other montages in the ceremony saluted film noirFilm noirFilm noir is a cinematic term used primarily to describe stylish Hollywood crime dramas, particularly those that emphasize cynical attitudes and sexual motivations. Hollywood's classic film noir period is generally regarded as extending from the early 1940s to the late 1950s...
, epic filmEpic filmAn epic is a genre of film that emphasizes human drama on a grand scale. Epics are more ambitious in scope than other film genres, and their ambitious nature helps to differentiate them from similar genres such as the period piece or adventure film...
s, biographical filmBiographical filmA biographical film, or biopic , is a film that dramatizes the life of an actual person or people. They differ from films “based on a true story” or “historical films” in that they attempt to comprehensively tell a person’s life story or at least the most historically important years of their...
s, and political commentary in film (after the latter, Stewart joked "and none of those issues were ever a problem again"). Stewart later joked that there would be a montage on montages. - This was the first time Jamie FoxxJamie FoxxEric Marlon Bishop , professionally known as Jamie Foxx, is an American actor, singer-songwriter, stand-up comedian, and talk radio host. As an actor, his work in the film Ray earned him the Academy Award and BAFTA Award for Best Actor as well as the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a...
, Jennifer AnistonJennifer AnistonJennifer Joanna Aniston is an American actress, film director, and producer, best known for her role as Rachel Green on the television sitcom Friends, a role which earned her an Emmy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a Screen Actors Guild Award.Aniston has also enjoyed a successful film career,...
, George ClooneyGeorge ClooneyGeorge Timothy Clooney is an American actor, film director, producer, and screenwriter. For his work as an actor, he has received two Golden Globe Awards and an Academy Award...
, Luke WilsonLuke WilsonLuke Cunningham Wilson is an American film actor known for his roles in Old School, Bottle Rocket, The Royal Tenenbaums, Legally Blonde, Idiocracy and Death at a Funeral.-Early life:...
, Steve CarellSteve CarellSteven John "Steve" Carell is an American comedian, actor, voice artist, producer, writer, and director. Although Carell is notable for his role on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, he found greater fame in the late 2000s for playing Michael Scott on The Office...
, Eric BanaEric BanaEric Bana is an Australian film and television actor. He began his career as a comedian in the sketch comedy series Full Frontal before gaining critical recognition in the biopic Chopper...
, and Jessica AlbaJessica AlbaJessica Marie Alba is an American television and film actress. She began her television and movie appearances at age 13 in Camp Nowhere and The Secret World of Alex Mack . Alba rose to prominence as the lead actress in the television series Dark Angel...
had ever presented an award. - This was the sixth time that Jack NicholsonJack NicholsonJohn Joseph "Jack" Nicholson is an American actor, film director, producer and writer. He is renowned for his often dark portrayals of neurotic characters. Nicholson has been nominated for an Academy Award twelve times, and has won the Academy Award for Best Actor twice: for One Flew Over the...
had presented the award for Best Picture. - Several spoof advertisements were shown, narrated by Stephen ColbertStephen ColbertStephen Tyrone Colbert is an American political satirist, writer, comedian, television host, and actor. He is the host of Comedy Central's The Colbert Report, a satirical news show in which Colbert portrays a caricatured version of conservative political pundits.Colbert originally studied to be an...
, a former correspondent from The Daily Show with Jon Stewart who currently hosts The Colbert Report. They attacked the candidacies of various nominees on behalf of other nominees, modeled on famous political ads. For example, in a parody of Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, "Dames for Truth" attacked Dame Judi DenchJudi DenchDame Judith Olivia "Judi" Dench, CH, DBE, FRSA is an English film, stage and television actress.Dench made her professional debut in 1957 with the Old Vic Company. Over the following few years she played in several of William Shakespeare's plays in such roles as Ophelia in Hamlet, Juliet in Romeo...
with absurd claims, such as that Dench poked a dame's eye out in a bar fight. The ad was capped with the disclaimer that Dames for Truth was "a shadow organization in no way affiliated with Felicity HuffmanFelicity HuffmanFelicity Kendall Huffman is an American film, stage, and television actress. She is known for her role as executive producer Dana Whitaker on the ABC television show Sports Night , which earned her a Golden Globe Award nomination, and as hectic supermom Lynette Scavo on the ABC show Desperate...
". In a parody of the Harry and LouiseHarry and Louise"Harry and Louise" was a $14 to $20 million year-long television advertising campaign funded by the Health Insurance Association of America —a predecessor of the current America’s Health Insurance Plans —a health insurance industry lobby group, that ran intermittently from September 8, 1993 to...
political ads (1993), an old couple complained about the "foreign" sounding names of the best actress nominees, other than Reese Witherspoon. - Legendary composer John WilliamsJohn WilliamsJohn Towner Williams is an American composer, conductor, and pianist. In a career spanning almost six decades, he has composed some of the most recognizable film scores in the history of motion pictures, including the Star Wars saga, Jaws, Superman, the Indiana Jones films, E.T...
received his 44th and 45th Oscar nominations, making him the second most nominated person in Academy Awards history, tied with Alfred Newman and behind Walt Disney, who received 59. - At the beginning of the ceremony, some political remarks were made satirizing and criticizing conservativeAmerican conservatismConservatism in the United States has played an important role in American politics since the 1950s. Historian Gregory Schneider identifies several constants in American conservatism: respect for tradition, support of republicanism, preservation of "the rule of law and the Christian religion", and...
America and the LBGT taboo (for instance, the montage on "gay" cowboy movies). Host Jon Stewart and winner George Clooney were among those most noted for their somewhat combative political remarks:- In Stewart's opening speech, he remarked, "BjörkBjörkBjörk Guðmundsdóttir , known as Björk , is an Icelandic singer-songwriter. Her eclectic musical style has achieved popular acknowledgement and popularity within many musical genres, such as rock, jazz, electronic dance music, classical and folk...
couldn't be here tonight... she was trying on her Oscar dress and Dick CheneyDick CheneyRichard Bruce "Dick" Cheney served as the 46th Vice President of the United States , under George W. Bush....
shot her." This was reference to the Dick Cheney hunting incidentDick Cheney hunting incidentThe Dick Cheney hunting incident occurred on February 11, 2006, when then U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney shot Harry Whittington, a 78-year-old Texas attorney, while participating in a quail hunt on a ranch in Kenedy County, Texas...
and the dress Björk wore at the 73rd Academy Awards73rd Academy AwardsThe 73rd Academy Awards honored the best films of 2000 and was held on March 25, 2001. It was the last Academy Awards to take place at the Los Angeles Shrine Auditorium...
. - As Clooney wrapped his acceptance speech upon his win, he remarked: "And finally, I would say that, you know, we are a little bit out of touch in Hollywood every once in a while. I think it's probably a good thing. We're the ones who talk about AIDS when it was just being whispered, and we talked about civil rights when it wasn't really popular. And we, you know, we bring up subjects. This Academy, this group of people, gave Hattie McDanielHattie McDanielHattie McDaniel was the first African-American actress to win an Academy Award. She won the award for Best Supporting Actress for her role of Mammy in Gone with the Wind ....
an Oscar in 193912th Academy AwardsThe 12th Academy Awards, honoring the best in film for 1939, was held on February 29, 1940, at a banquet in the Coconut Grove at The Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles. It was hosted by Bob Hope ....
when blacks were still sitting in the backs of theaters. I'm proud to be a part of this Academy. Proud to be part of this community, and proud to be out of touch." Commenting on how Hollywood sometimes break social taboos such as racism, homosexuality, and war. Some conservatives were offended by Clooney's remarks calling them rude and absurd (Clooney had earlier made a joke criticizing Jack AbramoffJack AbramoffJack Abramoff is an American former lobbyist and businessman. Convicted in 2006 of mail fraud and conspiracy, he was at the heart of an extensive corruption investigation that led to the conviction of White House officials J. Steven Griles and David Safavian, U.S. Representative Bob Ney, and nine...
at the Golden Globe Awards63rd Golden Globe Awards----Picture - Drama: Brokeback Mountain ----Picture - Musical or Comedy: Walk the Line ----TV Series - Drama: Lost ----TV Series - Musical or Comedy: Desperate Housewives ----Miniseries or TV Movie: Empire Falls ...
). Clooney's acceptance speech, perceived as being smug in tone by the writers of South ParkSouth ParkSouth Park is an American animated television series created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone for the Comedy Central television network. Intended for mature audiences, the show has become famous for its crude language, surreal, satirical, and dark humor that lampoons a wide range of topics...
, was lampooned several times in the episode Smug Alert!Smug Alert!"Smug Alert!" is the second episode of the tenth season of the American animated television series South Park, and the 141st episode overall. It first aired on Comedy Central in the United States on March 29, 2006...
.
- In Stewart's opening speech, he remarked, "Björk
- In her pre-show red carpet interview Jennifer GarnerJennifer GarnerJennifer Anne Affleck , better known as Jennifer Garner, is an American actress and film producer. Garner gained recognition on television for her performance as CIA agent Sydney Bristow in the thriller drama series Alias, which aired on ABC for five seasons from 2001 to 2006...
, who presented the award for Best Sound Editing, revealed that she'd had to have her ears pierced specially for the $250,000 diamond chandelier earrings she wore to the ceremony. - Don AdamsDon AdamsDon Adams was an American actor, comedian and director. In his five decades on television, he was best known as Maxwell Smart in the television situation comedy Get Smart , which he also sometimes directed and wrote. Adams won three consecutive Emmy Awards for his portrayal of Smart...
, Bob DenverBob DenverRobert Osbourne "Bob" Denver was an American comedic actor known for his roles as Gilligan on the television series Gilligan's Island and the beatnik Maynard G. Krebs on the 1959–1963 TV series The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis.-Early life:Denver was born in New Rochelle, New York, and raised in...
and Dana ElcarDana ElcarDana Elcar was an American television and movie character actor. Although he appeared in about 40 films, his most memorable role was on the 1980s and 1990s television series MacGyver as Peter Thornton, an administrator working for the Phoenix Foundation...
were omitted for the In Memoriam.
Voting trends and reaction
For the second consecutive year, the field of major nominees did not include a bona fide blockbusterBlockbuster (entertainment)
Blockbuster, as applied to film or theatre, denotes a very popular or successful production. The entertainment industry use was originally theatrical slang referring to a particularly successful play but is now used primarily by the film industry...
at the U.S. box office
Box office
A box office is a place where tickets are sold to the public for admission to an event. Patrons may perform the transaction at a countertop, through an unblocked hole through a wall or window, or at a wicket....
, with the nominees for Best Picture performing even more poorly than those of one year earlier.
None of the five Best Picture nominees was among the year's top 40 releases in box office at the time of the nominations, likely the most disappointing box-office performance of any Best Picture field in history; the film chosen as best Documentary Feature, March of the Penguins
March of the Penguins
March of the Penguins is a 2005 French nature documentary film. It was directed and co-written by Luc Jacquet, and co-produced by Bonne Pioche and the National Geographic Society. The film depicts the yearly journey of the emperor penguins of Antarctica...
, earned more ($77.4 million) than any of the dramatic nominees, the first such occurrence in Academy history. As of January 31, Crash was the highest earner among the Best Picture nominees with $55.4 million in domestic box office receipts, and ranked as the 47th highest grosser of 2005. It was followed by Brokeback Mountain at $51 million (53rd) and Munich
Munich (film)
Munich is a 2005 historical fiction film about the Israeli government's secret retaliation attacks after the massacre of Israeli athletes by the Black September terrorist group during the 1972 Summer Olympics. The film stars Eric Bana and was produced and directed by Steven Spielberg...
at $40.1 million (67th); Good Night, and Good Luck.
Good Night, and Good Luck.
Good Night, and Good Luck. is a 2005 American drama film directed by George Clooney. The film was written by Clooney and Grant Heslov and portrays the conflict between veteran radio and television journalist Edward R. Murrow and U.S...
($25.1 million) and Capote
Capote (film)
Capote is a 2005 biographical film about Truman Capote, following the events during the writing of Capote's non-fiction book In Cold Blood. Philip Seymour Hoffman won several awards, including the Academy Award for Best Actor, for his critically acclaimed portrayal of the title role. The movie was...
($15.3 million) rounded out the field. (By the time of the awards, Brokeback Mountain would surpass Crash with $78.9 million, benefitting from its position as Oscar frontrunner.) Of the top 50 releases of 2005 in U.S. box office through January, only Crash, Walk the Line
Walk the Line
Walk the Line is a 2005 American biographical drama film directed by James Mangold and based on the early life and career of country music artist Johnny Cash...
(19th) and Cinderella Man
Cinderella Man
Cinderella Man is a 2005 American drama film by Ron Howard, titled after the nickname of heavyweight boxing champion James J. Braddock and inspired by his life story. The film was produced by Howard, Penny Marshall, and Brian Grazer.-Plot:James J...
(41st) received nominations for directing, acting or writing. The top 18 films in box office received a total of only 14 nominations, with a majority of these in the categories of Visual Effects, Sound Mixing and Sound Editing.
For the first time in five years, a majority of the Best Picture nominees were rated R
MPAA film rating system
The Motion Picture Association of America's film-rating system is used in the U.S. and its territories to rate a film's thematic and content suitability for certain audiences. The MPAA system applies only to motion pictures that are submitted for rating. Other media may be rated by other entities...
(under 17 requires accompanying adult); it had been seven years since as many (four) of the nominees had earned that rating. Of the 85 nominations awarded to non-documentary feature films (apart from the Foreign Film category), a slight majority of 43 went to R-rated films, 25 to films rated PG-13, 16 to PG-rated films and 1 to a G-rated film. There was a remarkable rating-related division among the nominations: R-rated films captured 32 of the 40 nominations for Best Picture, directing, screenwriting and acting, while non-R-rated films received 34 of the 45 nominations in the remaining categories, primarily those in "below the line
Below the line (film production)
Below the line is an accounting term used in filmmaking and television production, an imaginary line delineating those who have influence in the creative direction of a film's narrative from others who perform duties related to the film's physical production....
" areas (the music and editing categories accounted for 9 of the 11 nominations for R-rated films).
Also, the nominations were more widely dispersed than usual; it marked the first time in six years that no film received more than eight nominations. This was also the first time in 17 years that less than 5 songs were nominated in the Best Original Song category.
This year the awards ceremony started at 5:00 p.m. PST, 30 minutes earlier than the previous seven ceremonies. The pre-show was extended from its original thirty minutes to a full hour before the ceremony. The Barbara Walters Special, usually airing before or after the ceremony (depending on time zone) was for the second time, since 2003, aired on different days this time before the actual day of the ceremony, March 1 to accommodate these time changes.
As has become standard practice in recent years (since the ceremony in 2004 following the Janet Jackson Super Bowl controversy
Super Bowl XXXVIII halftime show controversy
Super Bowl XXXVIII, which was broadcast live on February 1, 2004 from Houston, Texas on the CBS television network in the United States, was noted for a controversial halftime show in which Janet Jackson's breast, adorned with a nipple shield, was exposed by Justin Timberlake for about half a...
), the broadcast aired on a time delay in order to allow the network to censor offensive material. This occurred during the performance of "It's Hard Out Here for a Pimp
It's Hard Out Here for a Pimp
"It's Hard out Here for a Pimp" is an Oscar winning song, written by hip hop band Three 6 Mafia and Cedric Coleman, for the film, Hustle & Flow. It was ranked #80 on VH1's "100 Greatest Songs of Hip Hop".-Academy Award:...
" when several words were blanked out at the start of the song, and later one phrase was bleeped during Three 6 Mafia
Three 6 Mafia
Three 6 Mafia are an Academy Award-winning, American rap group originating from Memphis, Tennessee. Formed in 1991 as Triple 6 Mafia, by DJ Paul, Juicy J, & Lord Infamous, the group at its most featured six members including; Crunchy Black, Gangsta Boo and Koopsta Knicca...
's acceptance speech. One phrase in the chorus that was supposed to be sung as "bitches talking shit" was replaced with the less-offensive phrase "witches jumping ships".
As with tradition, last year's acting winners present an acting award for the opposite sex. Cate Blanchett
Cate Blanchett
Catherine Élise "Cate" Blanchett is an Australian actress. She came to international attention for her role as Elizabeth I of England in the 1998 biopic film Elizabeth, for which she won British Academy of Film and Television Arts and Golden Globe Awards, and earned her first Academy Award...
won Best Supporting Actress
Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress
Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance while working within the film industry. Since its inception, however, the...
the previous year but was contractually signed to star in a play in New York City, therefore unable to present the award for Best Supporting Actor; Nicole Kidman
Nicole Kidman
Nicole Mary Kidman, AC is an American-born Australian actress, singer, film producer, spokesmodel, and humanitarian. After starring in a number of small Australian films and TV shows, Kidman's breakthrough was in the 1989 thriller Dead Calm...
was recruited to fill in.
LGBT themes
Many news organizations labeled this ceremony "The Gay Oscars", as movies such as Brokeback MountainBrokeback Mountain
Brokeback Mountain is a 2005 romantic drama film directed by Ang Lee. It is a film adaptation of the 1997 short story of the same name by Annie Proulx with the screenplay written by Diana Ossana and Larry McMurtry...
, Capote
Capote (film)
Capote is a 2005 biographical film about Truman Capote, following the events during the writing of Capote's non-fiction book In Cold Blood. Philip Seymour Hoffman won several awards, including the Academy Award for Best Actor, for his critically acclaimed portrayal of the title role. The movie was...
, and Transamerica
Transamerica (film)
Transamerica is a 2005 independent comedy-drama film produced by IFC Films and The Weinstein Company. The film tells the story of Bree, a transsexual woman , who goes on a road trip with her long-lost son Toby ....
featured prominent gay
Gay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
or transgender
Transgender
Transgender is a general term applied to a variety of individuals, behaviors, and groups involving tendencies to vary from culturally conventional gender roles....
characters and were strong candidates for the popular Best Picture, Best Actor, and Best Actress categories.
Tom O'Neill of InTouch Weekly declared on CNN
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
Saturday Night, "I think we could have the all-gay Oscars. Brokeback for best picture; Capote for best actor; Transamerica for best actress." Ultimately, in these three categories only Capote won its potential award.
The label of "Gay Oscars" resembles the "Black Oscars" label of the 74th Academy Awards
74th Academy Awards
The 74th Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences , honored the best films of 2001 and took place March 24, 2002, at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles beginning at 5:30 p.m. PST / 8:30 p.m. EST. It was the first ceremony to take place...
when two people of African-American descent, Denzel Washington
Denzel Washington
Denzel Hayes Washington Jr. is an American actor, screenwriter, director, and film producer. He first rose to prominence when he joined the cast of the medical drama, St. Elsewhere, playing Dr...
and Halle Berry
Halle Berry
Halle Berry is an American actress and a former fashion model. Berry received an Emmy, Golden Globe, SAG, and an NAACP Image Award for Introducing Dorothy Dandridge and won an Academy Award for Best Actress and was nominated for a BAFTA Award in 2001 for her performance in Monster's Ball, becoming...
, won the best actor and actress Oscars, respectively.
Winners
The awards were unusually divided. For the first time in 58 years, no film won more than three awards, with CrashCrash (2004 film)
Crash is a 2004 American drama film co-written, produced, and directed by Paul Haggis. The film is about racial and social tensions in Los Angeles, California. A self-described "passion piece" for Haggis, Crash was inspired by a real life incident in which his Porsche was carjacked outside a video...
, Brokeback Mountain
Brokeback Mountain
Brokeback Mountain is a 2005 romantic drama film directed by Ang Lee. It is a film adaptation of the 1997 short story of the same name by Annie Proulx with the screenplay written by Diana Ossana and Larry McMurtry...
, King Kong
King Kong (2005 film)
King Kong is a 2005 fantasy adventure film directed by Peter Jackson. It is a remake of the 1933 film of the same name and stars Naomi Watts, Jack Black and Adrien Brody. Andy Serkis, through performance capture, portrays Kong....
, and Memoirs of a Geisha
Memoirs of a Geisha (film)
Memoirs of a Geisha is a 2005 film adaptation of the novel of the same name, produced by Steven Spielberg's Amblin Entertainment and Spyglass Entertainment and by Douglas Wick's Red Wagon Productions. It was directed by Rob Marshall. It was released in the United States on December 9, 2005 by...
each receiving that many. Crash was the first Best Picture winner since Rocky
Rocky
Rocky is a 1976 American sports drama film directed by John G. Avildsen and both written by and starring Sylvester Stallone. It tells the rags to riches American Dream story of Rocky Balboa, an uneducated but kind-hearted debt collector for a loan shark in the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania...
, 29 years earlier, to win only three awards. It was also the first Best Picture winner since Chariots of Fire
Chariots of Fire
Chariots of Fire is a 1981 British film. It tells the fact-based story of two athletes in the 1924 Olympics: Eric Liddell, a devout Scottish Christian who runs for the glory of God, and Harold Abrahams, an English Jew who runs to overcome prejudice....
, 24 years earlier, to not win for its directing nor for any of its performers. For the first time in 49 years, Best Picture, Best Director and the four acting awards went to six different films. King Kong and Memoirs of a Geisha became the first films since The Bad and the Beautiful
The Bad and the Beautiful
The Bad and the Beautiful is a 1952 MGM melodramatic film that tells the story of a film producer who alienates all around him. It was directed by Vincente Minelli and stars Lana Turner, Kirk Douglas, Walter Pidgeon, Dick Powell, Barry Sullivan, Gloria Grahame and Gilbert Roland. The film was...
, 53 years earlier, to win (or tie for) the most awards, without being nominated for Best Picture.
For the first time in 44 years, each of the acting winners was a first-time nominee. With Philip Seymour Hoffman
Philip Seymour Hoffman
Philip Seymour Hoffman is an American actor and director. Hoffman began acting in television in 1991, and the following year started to appear in films...
winning for his performance as Truman Capote
Truman Capote
Truman Streckfus Persons , known as Truman Capote , was an American author, many of whose short stories, novels, plays, and nonfiction are recognized literary classics, including the novella Breakfast at Tiffany's and the true crime novel In Cold Blood , which he labeled a "nonfiction novel." At...
, and Reese Witherspoon
Reese Witherspoon
Laura Jeanne Reese Witherspoon , better known as Reese Witherspoon, is an American actress and film producer. Witherspoon landed her first feature role as the female lead in the film The Man in the Moon in 1991; later that year she made her television acting debut, in the cable movie Wildflower...
honored for her role as June Carter
June Carter Cash
Valerie June Carter Cash was an American singer, dancer, songwriter, actress, comedienne and author who was a member of the Carter Family and the second wife of singer Johnny Cash...
, it marked the fifth time that both lead acting awards went to performers playing real people. Ang Lee became the first Asian and non-Caucasian director to be honored. Paul Haggis was the evening's only multiple winner, with awards for producing and writing Crash. March of the Penguins
March of the Penguins
March of the Penguins is a 2005 French nature documentary film. It was directed and co-written by Luc Jacquet, and co-produced by Bonne Pioche and the National Geographic Society. The film depicts the yearly journey of the emperor penguins of Antarctica...
was the first nature documentary in 35 years (since The Hellstrom Chronicle
The Hellstrom Chronicle
The Hellstrom Chronicle is an American film released in 1971 which combines elements of documentary and science fiction to present a gripping depiction of the Darwinian struggle for survival between humans and insects. It was conceived and produced by David L...
in 1971) to win the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature.
Controversy over
Crash vs. Brokeback Mountain The New York TimesThe New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
declared that the selection of Crash as best picture was a "stunning twist", due to the fact that Brokeback Mountain received the top prizes at other large award shows such as the Golden Globes
63rd Golden Globe Awards
----Picture - Drama: Brokeback Mountain ----Picture - Musical or Comedy: Walk the Line ----TV Series - Drama: Lost ----TV Series - Musical or Comedy: Desperate Housewives ----Miniseries or TV Movie: Empire Falls ...
and the BAFTA Awards. It also suggested that Crash won as the "hometown favorite", being set in Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
, where most Academy voters live. Residents of Los Angeles were divided over the film, some believing it presented an unfairly negative portrayal of the city.
Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
film critic Kenneth Turan also observed that some Academy members displayed "discomfort" with the subject matter of Brokeback Mountain, which features a homosexual romance. He suggested that these voters might have instead voted for Crash so that they could still "feel like they were good, productive liberals", hence Crashs victory.
MSNBC
MSNBC
MSNBC is a cable news channel based in the United States available in the US, Germany , South Africa, the Middle East and Canada...
commentator Erik Lundegaard felt the Academy took a "step towards irrelevancy" by selecting the "worst best picture winner since The Greatest Show on Earth
The Greatest Show on Earth
The Greatest Show on Earth is a 1952 drama film set in the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. The film was produced, directed, and narrated by Cecil B. DeMille, and won the Academy Award for Best Picture...
in 1952." In a commentary in The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
, Annie Proulx—the author of the short story on which Brokeback Mountain was based—strongly criticized the selection of Crash, labeling it "trash" and denouncing Academy voters as "living cloistered lives behind wrought-iron gates or in deluxe rest-homes, out of touch not only with the shifting larger culture and the yeasty ferment that is America these days, but also out of touch with their own segregated city"; calling the attendees a "somewhat dim LA crowd", she stated that "Next year we can look to the awards for controversial themes on the punishment of adulterers with a branding iron in the shape of the letter A, runaway slaves, and the debate over free silver."
TV ratings
The ceremony attracted 38.94 million viewers with 22.91 million households watching. This makes this year's ceremony (along with the 58th ceremony58th Academy Awards
The 58th Academy Awards, honoring the best in film for 1985, were held on March 24, 1986 at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles, California. They were hosted by Alan Alda, Jane Fonda and Robin Williams. The ceremony was watched by 38.93 million viewers, tying the 78th Academy Awards as...
) the third lowest viewed ceremony in terms of Nielsen Ratings. This is partially due to the lack of box office hits being nominated. Still, only Super Bowl XL
Super Bowl XL
Super Bowl XL was an American football game pitting the American Football Conference champion Pittsburgh Steelers against the National Football Conference champion Seattle Seahawks to decide the National Football League champion for the 2005 season...
(which also aired on ABC) drew a higher television audience in the U.S., as is typically the case. The ceremony even won an Emmy for Main Title Design.
See also
- 78th Academy Awards nominees and winners
- Submissions for the 78th Academy Award for Best Foreign Film
- 2005 Golden Raspberry Awards2005 Golden Raspberry AwardsThe Golden Raspberry Awards are given to the worst movies of the year. The nominations for the 26th annual Golden Raspberry Awards were announced on January 30, 2006...