79th Academy Awards

79th Academy Awards
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Name	79th Academy Awards
Date	March 5, 2007
Site	Kodak Theatre
Host	Ellen DeGeneres
Producer	Brian Grazer
Director	Louis J. Horvitz
Best picture	The Departed
Most wins	The Departed (4)
Most nominations	Babel, The Departed, Little Miss Sunshine (7)
Network	ABC

79th Academy Awards was the annual ceremony presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to honor films released in 2006. Held at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles on March 5, 2007, the televised broadcast was produced by Brian Grazer and directed by Louis J. Horvitz, with Ellen DeGeneres serving as host. The event recognized achievements across multiple crafts, awarding Martin Scorsese's The Departed Best Picture and bestowing acting, directing, writing, and technical honors to a diverse slate that included Babel, Little Miss Sunshine, Letters from Iwo Jima, and The Queen.

Background and ceremony details

The ceremony followed the Academy’s voting procedures established by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences membership, with nominations announced at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater by members of the Board of Governors including representatives from branches such as Actors Branch (Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences), Directors Branch (Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences), and Producers Branch (Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences). Nominations reflected films distributed by studios and companies including Warner Bros., Universal Pictures, Paramount Pictures, Sony Pictures Classics, Fox Searchlight Pictures, Lionsgate, and Miramax. The ceremony’s design and staging incorporated elements by teams that previously worked on events like the 78th Academy Awards and productions for the Tony Awards and Emmy Awards.

Winners and nominees

The nominees spanned international and American productions: Martin Scorsese earned Best Director for The Departed while Helen Mirren won Best Actress for The Queen; Forest Whitaker received Best Actor for The Last King of Scotland and Alan Arkin took Best Supporting Actor for Little Miss Sunshine. Best Supporting Actress went to Jennifer Hudson for Dreamgirls. Best Original Screenplay honored Little Miss Sunshine writers including Michael Arndt, and Best Adapted Screenplay recognized William Monahan for The Departed. The Best Foreign Language Film category featured submissions such as Pan's Labyrinth by Guillermo del Toro and Japan’s Letters from Iwo Jima by Clint Eastwood, with winners across technical fields including cinematography, editing, sound mixing, and visual effects from teams who worked on films like Letters from Iwo Jima, Happy Feet, and Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest.

Presenters and performers

Presenters and performers included a roster of artists and industry figures drawn from studios and productions: actors from Dreamgirls and Little Miss Sunshine appeared alongside filmmakers such as Francis Ford Coppola, Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, and Denzel Washington to present awards. Musical performances featured pieces associated with nominees like "Listen" (Beyoncé), "It's Hard out Here for a Pimp" performed in tribute, and orchestral arrangements conducted by musicians linked with the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra and music supervisors who had collaborated on films like Babel and The Departed.

Ceremony production and ratings

The broadcast on ABC (American TV network) was produced by Brian Grazer with staging overseen by longtime awards director Louis J. Horvitz. Ratings measured by firms such as Nielsen Media Research showed viewership shifts compared with the 78th Academy Awards and 80th Academy Awards, with demographic analysis highlighting audience interest in films distributed by Paramount Pictures, Warner Bros., Fox Searchlight Pictures, and Sony Pictures Classics. The ceremony incorporated segments inspired by previous televised award productions including the Grammy Awards and Golden Globe Awards, and technical crews referenced practices from televised sporting events and variety shows to streamline camera coverage of presenters, winners, and the orchestra.

Controversies and reception

Critical reception invoked commentary from outlets including the Los Angeles Times, The New York Times, Variety (magazine), The Hollywood Reporter, and critics associated with Roger Ebert and Richard Roeper. Controversies surrounded the selection of nominees, campaigning tactics by studios such as Miramax and Fox Searchlight Pictures, and debates over the Academy’s rules impacting films like Letters from Iwo Jima and Flags of Our Fathers. Commentary also focused on host Ellen DeGeneres’s approach compared to predecessors including Whoopi Goldberg, Billy Crystal, and Chris Rock, and on decisions by the Academy concerning speech limits and staging that drew responses from filmmakers including Martin Scorsese and Clint Eastwood.

In Memoriam and tributes

The ceremony’s In Memoriam segment honored industry figures who died in the eligibility year, featuring names associated with landmark productions and institutions: actors like Paul Newman and Richard Pryor; directors and producers linked to studios such as United Artists and Orion Pictures; and craft professionals from unions and guilds including the Screen Actors Guild and Directors Guild of America. Tribute montages referenced landmark films and historical moments connected to honorees’ careers, echoing memorial segments from past ceremonies like the 75th Academy Awards and prompting acknowledgments from presenters and winners on stage.

Category:Academy Awards ceremonies Category:2007 awards Category:2007 in American cinema