Winning an Oscar is considered one of Hollywood’s greatest achievements.
Yet behind the famous golden statuette lies a history filled with unanswered questions, controversy and rules that many people may not know about, write AP.
The Academy Awards began on a modest scale in 1929, with the first ceremony reportedly lasting only 10 minutes.
Nearly a century later, the Oscars have become the biggest event of the Hollywood awards season, involving film studios, campaign teams, critics, media organisations, stylists and countless industry professionals.
The Academy itself was born during a period when Hollywood was seeking to improve its public reputation while strengthening the influence of major studios.
Producer Louis B. Mayer played a key role in its establishment.
Even the name “Oscar” has an uncertain beginning. According to one widely circulated story, Academy librarian Margaret Herrick compared the statuette to her uncle and gave it the nickname.
However, the exact origin of the name has never been firmly established.
The awards have also had their share of surprising and divisive results.
Films such as Citizen Kane and Brokeback Mountain missed out on Best Picture, while Crash and Green Book took home the top prize.
Several critically acclaimed movies, including 2001: A Space Odyssey, Do the Right Thing and Hoop Dreams, failed to receive a Best Picture nomination.
Acclaimed director David Lynch also never won a competitive Oscar, despite earning recognition from the Academy.
Still, the Oscar has retained its status as the film industry’s most recognisable prize.
Ironically, the trophy itself has relatively little financial value compared with what it represents.
Producing an Oscar costs around $400, while Hollywood studios can spend millions of dollars on campaigns aimed at securing nominations and wins.
An Oscar can also boost an actor or filmmaker’s earning potential and open new professional doors, although winning the award does not necessarily guarantee lasting success.
There are also strict rules surrounding the statuette.
Winners of Oscars awarded after 1951 cannot sell or otherwise dispose of their trophies without first offering them back to the Academy for $1.
The ceremony’s relationship with television audiences has changed considerably over the years.
The Oscars were first televised in 1953, and viewership has since gone through significant highs and lows.
At the same time, the Academy has faced repeated criticism over the makeup of its membership and its record on diversity.
Those concerns became particularly prominent in 2015, when the hashtag #OscarsSoWhite drew widespread attention to the lack of racial diversity among nominees.
The backlash prompted the Academy to introduce significant changes to its membership.
Questions about the relevance and fairness of the Oscars have existed almost from the beginning. Despite the criticism, the ceremony continues to draw worldwide attention each year.
For Hollywood, the Oscar represents more than artistic recognition.
It also reflects an industry shaped by talent, ambition, money and influence — and one that has never been far removed from controversy.
