Hollywood honors its best on Sunday March 5, when the 78th Annual Academy Awards ceremony takes place in Los Angeles. Members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which distributes the Oscars each year, are among the most talented and skilled artists and craftsmen in the film industry. Members mail in their ballots in 24 categories to the Pricewaterhouse Coopers firm, which maintains the utmost secrecy of winners until the moment they are announced.
The Academy gave out its first Oscar statuettes on May 16, 1929, at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel. That year there were 250 attendees and the ceremony only lasted five minutes. 1953 marked the first televised ceremony. This year's ceremony will be hosted by comedian John Stewart and produced by Gil Cates.
In this series of reports, VOA's Hollywood reporters take a closer look at the nominated films and actors.
