February 2, 2023

8 SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNICAL ACHIEVEMENTS TO BE HONORED WITH ACADEMY AWARDS®

Iain Neil to receive Gordon E. Sawyer Award

LOS ANGELES, CA – The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced today that eight scientific and technical achievements represented by 19 individual award recipients will be honored at its annual Scientific and Technical Awards presentation on Friday, February 24, 2023, at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, marking its return to an in-person event for the first time since 2019.

In addition, Iain Neil will receive the Gordon E. Sawyer Award (an Oscar® statuette) for his extraordinary technological contributions that have brought credit to the industry.

Unlike other Academy Awards® to be presented this year, achievements receiving Scientific and Technical Awards need not have been developed and introduced during a specified period of time. Rather, the achievements must demonstrate a proven record of contributing significant value to the process of making motion pictures.

The 95th Oscars® will be held on Sunday, March 12, 2023, at the Dolby® Theatre at Ovation Hollywood and will be televised live on ABC and in more than 200 territories worldwide.

The Academy Awards for scientific and technical achievements are:

“Since 1931, the Academy has recognized the most important innovations in filmmaking; inventors and engineers have been advancing the art and science of motion pictures ever since,” said Barbara Ford Grant, chair of the Scientific and Technical Awards Committee. “Their efforts have not only served to enrich the art form but inspire a global industry to engineer, create, change, and push the boundaries of our craft. This year we honor achievements spanning accomplishments from pioneering methods in practical rain effects to career-long contributions in optical design for cinematography to humanistic-driven AI techniques. This outstanding work has enabled new and exciting ways of creating and further expanding how we experience motion pictures.”

TECHNICAL ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS (ACADEMY CERTIFICATES)

SCIENTIFIC AND ENGINEERING AWARDS (ACADEMY PLAQUES)

AWARD OF COMMENDATION (SPECIAL PLAQUE)

To Ryan Laney for his innovative adaptation and deployment of AI-driven facial veiling technology used to protect the identities while preserving the visual relatability of subjects in documentary filmmaking as exemplified in Welcome to Chechnya (2020).

GORDON E. SAWYER AWARD (OSCAR STATUETTE)

To Iain Neil for his substantial, extensive and innovative lens designs which have had lasting impact in motion picture cinematography.

ABOUT THE ACADEMY
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is a global community of more than 10,000 of the most accomplished artists, filmmakers and executives working in film. In addition to celebrating and recognizing excellence in filmmaking through the Oscars, the Academy supports a wide range of initiatives to promote the arts and sciences of the movies, including public programming, screenings, publications, educational outreach, exhibitions, and more.