69th Academy Awards 69th Academy Awards The 69th Academy Awards ceremony, organized by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) took place on March 24, 1997, at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles beginning at 6:00 p.m. PST / 9:00 p.m. EST. During the ceremony, AMPAS presented the Academy Awards (commonly referred to as Oscars) in 24 categories honoring films released in 1996. The ceremony, televised in the United States by ABC, was produced by Gil Cates, and directed by Louis J. Horvitz. Actor Billy Crystal hosted the show for the fifth time. He first presided over the 62nd ceremony held
82nd Academy Awards announced during the awards ceremony on March 7, 2010. Kathryn Bigelow made history as the first female to win the Oscar for Best Director. "Up" became the second animated film to be nominated for Best Picture. 1991's "Beauty and the Beast" was the first such film to achieve this feat. Best Adapted Screenplay winner Geoffrey Fletcher was the first African American winner of a screenwriting Oscar. Winners are listed first, highlighted in boldface and indicated with a double dagger (). The Academy held its 1st Annual Governors Awards ceremony on November 14, 2009, during which the following awards were presented.