At an elegant banquet held at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, luminaries of the film industry assembled to celebrate the year’s most outstanding achievements in cinema. This historic evening, presided over by William C. DeMille, the elder sibling of famed producer-director Cecil B. DeMille, was a milestone for the burgeoning art form. Academy President Douglas Fairbanks, a cinematic icon in his own right, distributed 13 golden statuettes before an audience of approximately 270 attendees. These awards marked the birth of what would become the most prestigious honors in filmmaking.
The centerpiece of the awards, a 13.5-inch, gold-plated statuette weighing around eight pounds, depicted a knight clutching a Crusader’s sword and standing atop a reel of film. This iconic figure, later known as the Oscar, was sketched in a matter of minutes on a tablecloth at the Hollywood Biltmore Hotel by MGM’s art director, Cedric Gibbons. Its swift creation belied the immense cultural significance it would come to embody.
Among the Oscar recipients was German actor Emil Jannings, who earned the inaugural Best Actor award for his emotive performances in The Way of All Flesh and The Last Command. As he had already returned to Europe, Jannings’ Oscar was shipped to him, making him the first winner to receive the honor in absentia. Janet Gaynor triumphed as Best Actress, recognized for her luminous work across three films: F.W. Murnau’s Sunrise and Frank Borzage’s Seventh Heaven and Street Angel. Remarkably, Gaynor remains the only actress to win for multiple roles in the same ceremony.
The night celebrated cinematic innovation, particularly with the recognition of Wings as Best Picture. Directed by William Wellman, the World War I aviation epic soared to victory not only for its storytelling but also for its groundbreaking engineering effects crafted by Roy Pomeroy, who earned a separate accolade. Meanwhile, Sunrise was honored for its “Artistic Quality of Production,” a unique category that highlighted its visionary achievements.
Charles Chaplin received a special award celebrating his extraordinary versatility and creative genius, demonstrated through his writing, directing, producing, and acting in The Circus. Similarly, Warner Brothers were lauded for their pioneering work on The Jazz Singer, the first feature-length film with synchronized dialogue, which revolutionized the industry and heralded the era of “talkies.”
A notable highlight of the evening was the screening of a short talking film featuring Douglas Fairbanks in conversation with Wings producer Adolph Zukor. This technological marvel left attendees captivated and underscored the transformative power of sound in motion pictures.
The winners, who were determined months in advance, included Underworld, which won for Best Original Story. The ceremony’s brevity—lasting a mere 15 minutes—stood in stark contrast to the elaborate productions of modern-day Academy Awards. Yet this intimate gathering laid the foundation for what would become a global celebration of cinematic artistry.
The event’s charm was amplified by the peculiarities of its time. For example, the two-year eligibility window for nominees (1927-1928) reflected the Academy’s formative stage. Silent films dominated the awards, with Wings and Sunrise epitomizing the era’s artistic and technical achievements, as the industry transitioned to sound.
This inaugural ceremony, though modest in scale, introduced traditions that have endured for nearly a century. From the dazzling statuettes to the heartfelt tributes, the first Academy Awards set the stage for a legacy of honoring the brilliance and creativity of filmmakers around the globe.