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 OAM is ArtsHub's National Performing Arts Editor; he also presents the weekly program SmartArts on Three Triple R FM. Richard is a life member of the Melbourne Queer Film Festival, a Melbourne Fringe Festival Living Legend, and was awarded the Sidney Myer Performing Arts Awards' Facilitator's Prize in 2020. In 2021 he received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Green Room Awards Association. Most recently, Richard received a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in June 2024. Follow him on Twitter: @richardthewatts