How would an Oscar change your life? (from the archives)

Fame, fortune and your pick of the best projects – or over-exposure, exploitation and unhappiness? What happens when you win an Academy Award?

Winning an Academy Award is the dream of many a wannabe Hollywood star – but should it be?

Certainly since they were first presented in 1929, the Academy Awards, known colloquially as the Oscars, have become one of the most prestigious media awards in the world. While similar accolades exist – the BAFTAs in the UK, the César Awards in France, Australia’s own AACTA Awards, and the Goya Awards in Spain – the glitz and glamour associated with Hollywood, and the globally pervasive influence of the American media, have ensured that it is the Oscars which are most associated with cinematic excellence and success in the public’s mind.

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Richard Watts is ArtsHub's National Performing Arts Editor; he also presents the weekly program SmartArts on Three Triple R FM, and serves as the Chair of La Mama Theatre's volunteer Committee of Management. Richard is a life member of the Melbourne Queer Film Festival, and was awarded the status of Melbourne Fringe Living Legend in 2017. In 2020 he was awarded the Sidney Myer Performing Arts Awards' Facilitator's Prize. Most recently, Richard was presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Green Room Awards Association in June 2021. Follow him on Twitter: @richardthewatts