1st Academy Awards

The inaugural Academy Awards ceremony, held in 1929, honoring achievements in films released from 1927 to 1928.

Wings (1927 film): A 1927 silent war film directed by William A. Wellman, honored with the award for Outstanding Picture. It won the ceremony’s top award, then called Outstanding Picture.
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences: A professional organization founded in 1927 to advance the motion-picture industry and its standards. The Academy created and presented the awards.
Academy Award for Outstanding Picture: The Academy Award category honoring a film’s overall achievement, later known as Best Picture. Wings received this award, the ceremony’s highest film honor.
Academy Awards: An annual set of film awards presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. The 1929 event began the awards series now known by this name.
Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans: F. W. Murnau’s 1927 silent film about a farmer who plots to kill his wife. It received awards for artistic quality and cinematography.
Louis B. Mayer: An American film producer and studio executive who led Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. He proposed an organization that became the Academy.
Academy Award for Best Director: An Academy Award category recognizing achievement in film directing. The inaugural ceremony split directing honors between dramatic and comedy pictures.
Sound film: A motion picture with synchronized recorded sound, including dialogue, music, or effects. The ceremony took place as synchronized sound was transforming film production.
The Last Command: A 1928 silent film directed by Josef von Sternberg about a former Russian general working as an extra in Hollywood. Emil Jannings won the first award for Best Actor for his performance.
Douglas Fairbanks: An American actor and filmmaker known for silent-film adventure roles. As Academy president, he hosted the inaugural ceremony.

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Academy Award for Best PictureBroader topic: It established the award as part of the Academy’s inaugural ceremony.