Academy Award for Best Director

High school (ages 12+)
Art & Creativity

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/academy-award-for-best-director

1. What is the inaugural year?
2. What is the initial category structure?
3. Why did the Academy originally have separate Drama and Comedy director awards?
4. Can a director be nominated for more than one film in the same year?

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the inaugural year?1929
2. What is the initial category structure?Split into Dramatic and Comedy categories
3. Why did the Academy originally have separate Drama and Comedy director awards?At first the Academy thought directors worked in different kinds of movies, so they gave one award for Drama and one for Comedy. Later they decided one award was enough.
4. Can a director be nominated for more than one film in the same year?In the early years a director could be nominated for several films in one year. The rule was later changed, but in 2000 Steven Soderbergh was still nominated for two movies and won for one of them.

Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS): The professional honorary organization responsible for the annual Academy Awards.
Single Transferable Vote (STV): A preferential voting system used by AMPAS for nominations within branches, aiming for proportional representation.
Plurality Vote: The voting method used to select the final winner, where the candidate with the most votes wins, regardless of whether it's a majority.
Cinematic Artistry: The skillful and creative application of filmmaking techniques to evoke emotion, tell stories, and create aesthetic value.