Little known Oscars event that honours the industry’s finest actors
The Oscars returns this weekend for the 96th time in its history, with all eyes on just how many Academy Awards will be laid upon the lap of Oppenheimer, Poor Things, and Killers of the Flower Moon.
Taking place on Sunday (10 March) at Los Angeles' Dolby Theatre in the heart of Hollywood, it'll bring together the film industry's biggest names for the most prestigious event in the United States' award season.
With 23 gongs to give out, the ceremony will take place overnight UK time, running well in to the early hours of Monday morning.
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Oppenheimer's Cillian Murphy will face off against the likes of Maestro's Bradley Cooper for Best Actor, with Killers of the Flower Moon's Lily Gladstone expected to go head to head with Emma Stone for Best Actress following her performance in Poor Things.
A total of 10 films are competing for the big one: Best Picture. Oppenheimer is tipped to win the prize but faces competition from American Fiction, Anatomy of a Fall, Barbie, The Holdovers, Killers of the Flower Moon, Maestro, Past Lives, Poor Things and The Zone of Interest.
If you've not seen any of them, see our full guide here.
But the Oscars itself isn't the only Academy event to recognise some of Hollywood's best with prestigious awards of a different kind.
Taking place back in early January, the Academy kicked off Oscars season with another awards ceremony that is now in its fourteenth year.
Taking place at the Grand Ballroom of the Hollywood and Highland Center, the Governors Awards took place on 9 January having been postponed by the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes.
It is one of five events put on by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences every awards season, alongside the Academy Scientific and Technical Awards, Academy Student Academy Awards, the Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting, and the Oscars itself.
Every year, the Governors Awards give out three awards recognising lifetime achievement within the film industry.
They are the Academy Honorary Award, the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award, and the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award.
This year, the show was hosted by comedian John Mulaney.
The Academy Honoary Award was given out to actress Angela Bassett (Boyz n the Hood, Black Panther, American Horror Story), director and actor Mel Brooks (Robots, The Elephant Man, The Producers) and film editor Carol Littleton (ET, The Manchurian Candidate, The Big Chill), with the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award going to film executive Michelle Satter.
The Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award hasn't been awarded since 2018.
The Academy says: "The Governors Awards were established to balance the desire to truly honour worthy individuals and avoid the time limitations that the Oscar telecast imposes on these honours.
"By creating a separate event for recognising these outstanding people in the movie industry, we’re ensuring that each honouree will be given their due without compromise."
Topics: Academy Awards, Oscars, TV and Film, US News, Celebrity, Oppenheimer
Tom Earnshaw