The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced the recipients of the 2019 Governors Awards this morning and not only was it earlier than normal but full of some pleasant surprises. This year’s honorees will include David Lynch, Wes Studi, Lina Wertmüller and Geena Davis, who will receive the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award. The Oscar winners will be celebrated at the 11th annual ceremony which will be held on Oct. 27th, about three weeks earlier than previous years.
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In a statement from the Academy, outgoing president John Bailey noted, “These Governors Awards given by the Academy each year recognize individuals who have devoted themselves to a lifetime of artistic accomplishment and brought outstanding contributions to our industry, and beyond. It is with great pleasure that we announce this year’s recipients.”
Davis was nominated for her performance in “Thelma & Louise” in 1992. Her career was highlighted by a decade of impressive turns starting with Lynch’s “The Fly” in 1986, “The Accidental Tourist,” “Earth Girls Are Easy” and “Beetlejuice” in 1988, “A League of Their Own” in 1992″ and “The Long Kiss Goodnight” in 1996. She is the founder and chair of the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media, a nonprofit dedicated to educating and influencing film and television content creators to eliminate gender bias and stereotypes and create a wide variety of female characters in entertainment and media aimed at children. Davis was appointed Special Envoy for Women and Girls in Information and Communication Technologies for the United Nations’ International Telecommunication Union in 2012 and served as chair of the California Commission on the Status of Women. In 2015, she launched the Bentonville Film Festival to support women and diversity in the entertainment industry.
Lynch is one of America’s most celebrated and artistic filmmakers. He has been nominated for Best Director three times for 1980’s “The Elephant Man,” 1987’s “Blue Velvet” and 2001’s “Mulholland Drive” as well as for Best Adapted Screenplay for the aforementioned “Elephant Man.” “Wild at Heart” won him the Palme d’Or at the 1990 Cannes Film Festival. His other works including “Eraserhead” and the TV series “Twin Peaks” are considered some of the most influential works in filmed media of the past 50 years.
Studi is a Cherokee-American actor who the Academy notes “known for portraying strong Native American characters with poignancy and authenticity.” Studi has delivered incredible performances in films such as 1990’s “Dances with Wolves,” 1992’s “The Last of the Mohicans,” 1993’s “Geronimo: An American Legend,” 1995’s “Heat,” 2005’s “The New World” and 2009’s “Avatar.”
In 1976, Wertmüller became the first woman ever nominated for Best Director for “Seven Beauties.” She was also earned an Original Screenplay nomination for that film. The Italian filmmaker’s other works 1963’s “The Basilisks,” 1972’s “The Seduction of Mimi,” 1973’s “Love and Anarchy” and 1974’s “Swept Away.” She will be 91-years-old in October.