The 95th Academy Awards aka The Oscars proved to be a significant point for India. Two out of three nominations from India won the Oscars, and how can we forget the ever-graceful Deepika Padukone presenting at the ceremony held at LA’s Dolby Theatre. All of these further cemented the position of Indian cinema on the global platform.
Also Read: Everything You Should Know About India’s Journey At The Academy Awards So Far
While we are still giddy on the Oscar high and reeling from the awards bagged by the winners, you must have wondered how the Oscars winners are decided. Who decides the winners? What is the process behind it? What goes on behind the glitz and the glamour? And a lot of other questions might have popped up.
Fret not, we break down the seemingly-complicated process of how the Oscars winners are decided for you. Keep reading.
The Nominations and The Academy Members
First things first, let’s start with the nominations. The nominees are selected by the members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences – the organization associated with the Oscars. The Academy boasts of some 10K members with new members added each year. These members are involved in showbiz in some capacity – actors, directors, writers, marketing executives, PR professionals, etc. The nominations are decided by the members of the relevant branch. Actors nominate actors, directors nominate directors, and so on. However, all members can nominate the Best Picture.
The Academy invites people to become its members. It was reported that Kajol, Suriya, and Reema Kagti are among the invited members this year. Those who accept the invitation become members. The membership is diverse and inclusive. “The 2022 class is 44% women, 37% belong to underrepresented ethnic/racial communities, and 50% are from 53 countries and territories outside the United States,” the Academy said in the statement.
Who votes where?
There are 17 branches – actors, cinematographers, costume designers, directors, documentary, editors, makeup artists/hairstylists, music, producers, production design, short films/feature animation, sound, visual effects and writers. Post the nominations, all members are eligible to cast their votes in any category.
How do the members vote for the Oscars winners?
Nominees are allowed to campaign for their movies. Voting takes place just a few days before the Oscars. This year the members voted between March 2 and March 7. The members can only cast their vote once per category and all of it happens online. The nominee with the highest number of votes wins. Except for Best Picture.
Best Picture is nominated according to the ranks, aka preferential voting. All members rank their top choices. This year saw 10 nominees for Best Picture. So the members had to rank their choices from one to ten. The movie which received the highest number of No 1 choices bagged the award. In this case, Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert’s Everything Everywhere All At Once. There are times when films also win in terms of consensus.
Do the members know who the Oscars winners are?
As the entire voting process is done online, members don’t know who the winners are. An accounting firm, PricewaterhouseCoopers, tabulates and audits the votes cast by the members of the Academy. On the final day, just two partners from the accounting firm know the results and they are entrusted with handing the sealed envelope to the winners.
Truly, a rite of passage.
Also Read: From ‘RRR’ To ‘The Elephant Whisperers’, Here’s The Complete List Of Winners At The Oscars 2023