2023 Academy Governors Awards Winners Revealed – IndieWire

The Academy’s Board of Governors voted to award Oscars to Angela Bassett, Mel Brooks and editor Carol Littleton, and the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award to the Sundance Institute’s Michelle Satter. The four Academy Awards will be presented at the Academy’s 14th Governors Awards on Saturday, November 18, 2023, at the Fairmont Century Plaza in Los Angeles.

“The Academy’s Board of Directors is pleased to honor four pioneers who have transformed the film industry and inspired generations of filmmakers and film fans,” Academy President Janet Yang said in a statement. “In her decade-long career, Angela Bassett has continued to deliver transcendent performances that set new standards in acting. Mel Brooks lights up our hearts with his humor, and his legacy has had a lasting impact on all areas of entertainment. Carol Littleton’s filmmaking career serves as a model for those who follow her. A pillar of the independent film community, Michelle Satter has played a vital role in countless film careers around the world.”

Bassett received her second Oscar nomination for her portrayal of the wild queen in “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” after her first for her role as Tina Turner in “What’s Love Got to Do with It.” His other films include ‘Boyz N the Hood’, ‘Malcolm X’, ‘Waiting to Exhale’, ‘How Got Her Groove Back’, ‘Black Panther’, ‘Mission: Impossible – Fallout’, ‘Avengers: Endgame , ” and “Soul”. Her television credits include “The Jacksons: An American Dream,” “The Rosa Parks Story,” “American Horror Story” and “9-1-1.”

Mel Brooks began his career as a multi-hyphenated director-producer-writer-actor writing television comedies for Sid Caesar and co-writing the television series Get Smart. In 1967, he wrote and directed his debut film, The Producers, which won him an Academy Award for the original screenplay, and later turned it into a hit Broadway musical. His films include The Twelve Chairs, Flaming Saddles, Young Frankenstein, Silent Film, The Great Depression, History of the World Part I, Spaceballs, Life Stinks, Robin “. Hood: Men in Tights’ and ‘Dracula: Dead and Loving It’.

Littleton’s film editing career spans nearly five decades. In 1982, he received an Oscar nomination for editing ET The Extra-Terrestrial. His other credits include ‘Body Heat’, ‘The Big Chill’, ‘Places in the Heart’ and ‘The Manchurian Candidate’. He was a governor of the Academy’s film editing division, president and vice president of the Motion Picture Editors Guild, and a member of the board of American Cinema Editors.

Satter is the founding director of the Sundance Institute Artist Programs, which has nurtured and supported countless aspiring filmmakers in its writing and directing labs for 40 years. Alumni have made the labs famous, from Quentin Tarantino (1991) to Chloé Zhao (2012) and Taika Waititi (2005) to Marielle Heller (2012). Many of them, like Marvel director Ryan Coogler, continue to turn to Satter for feedback or return to the lab as consultants.

Satter and his team never stop looking for potential collaborators and advisors. Satter stalked Paul Thomas Anderson at Sundance in 1993 after seeing his short film “Cigarettes and Coffee” and invited him to the summer Directors Lab. He brought ‘Sydney’, which later became ‘Hard Eight’. Satter invited John Cameron Mitchell to the Directors’ Lab after seeing “Hedwig & the Angry Inch” off-Broadway, but he didn’t want to direct himself. He enlisted Tom Kalin to direct two scenes, asked Mitchell to direct the third, and the rest is history.

He also led the Sundance Institute’s international initiatives in Asia, Europe, India, Latin America and the Middle East. He founded and oversees the vision and content of Sundance Collab, a global digital storytelling community and learning platform.

The Oscar statue, the Honorary Award, is awarded “in recognition of extraordinary achievements in life, exceptional contributions to the state of the motion picture arts and sciences, and outstanding services to the Academy”.

The Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award, also an Oscar statuette, is given to “an individual in the motion picture arts and sciences whose humanitarian efforts have earned industry recognition.”