Also collecting the special trophy at the 11th annual award ceremony is Cherokee-American actor Wes Studi who becomes the first Native American to accept the prize.
- Oct 29, 2019
AceShowbiz - Actress and humanitarian Geena Davis, director David Lynch and pioneering filmmaker Lina Wertmuller scored honorary Oscars at the Governors Awards on Sunday, October 27.
Lynch was acknowledged by collaborators Kyle MacLachlan, Laura Dern, and Isabella Rossellini ahead of his acceptance of an honorary Academy Award for Directing, while Davis took the stage to accept the 39th Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award.
Gender equality in entertainment was a major theme of the night as Wertmuller, the first female filmmaker to be nominated for an Academy Award, received a touching dedication from "The Piano" director Jane Campion.
"How do you correct centuries of patriarchal domination?" Campion asked the crowd. "It started with Lina Wertmuller."
During her acceptance speech, Geena Davis looked back on her landmark female-driven film "Thelma & Louise", which was released in 1991, stating, "Thelma and Louise made me realise how few opportunities we give women to come out of a movie feeling excited and empowered by the female characters."
"The message we are sending is that men and boys are far more valuable to us than women and girls. Whatever you're working on right now, boost the number of female characters... and then, cast me!"
Another big winner was Cherokee-American actor Wes Studi, who was presented with an honorary Academy Award by his "Hostiles" co-star Christian Bale, making him the first Native American to accept the prize.
"I'd simply like to say, it's about time," Studi said from he stage.
