The Beginning of the Academy Awards
How They Awards Began
The non-profit organization, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) was founded in 1927 with Douglas Fairbanks as president, to recognize and reward excellence within the film industry. The AMPAS organization established the Academy Awards in the late 1920s and first announced them in February 1929, and then distributed them in mid-May of 1929 for films opening between August-1927 and late July-1928.
In the first year of the Academy Awards' presentations, separate awards were given for Best Production. These were later the Oscars and the 'Best Production' Award is now the 'Best Picture' Award. There were two "Best Picture" winners: the financially successful anti-war film, William A. Wellman's Wings (1927) for Best Production and Sunrise (1927) for Best Unique and Artistic Picture. That category was immediately removed later.
Wings (1927), coming at the end of a cycle of films about WWI, featured exciting aerial combat sequences and starred Clara Bow and a young actor named Gary Cooper. These films were the only silent films ever to win the Academy Award for 'Best Picture'.
The Jazz Singer (1927) was declared ineligible for the Best Picture award, was given a special award for revolutionizing the industry.
Wings (1927) - Remastered Edition [The 1st Academy Awards] [HD]
"Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans" (1927) [HD]