Fact Finder - Movies

Stanley Kubrick’s '2001: A Space Odyssey' is widely regarded as one of the greatest technical achievements in cinema, yet it only won one Academy Award. Fittingly, that Oscar was for Best Special Visual Effects. This win was unique because the Oscar was awarded specifically to Stanley Kubrick himself, as he oversaw every aspect of the groundbreaking practical effects, miniatures, and slit-scan photography used to create the journey to Jupiter. It was the only competitive Oscar Kubrick ever won in his entire career, despite being nominated for Directing and Writing multiple times. The film’s effects were so advanced for 1968 that they were achieved entirely without computers (CGI). The Academy's recognition of the film's 'Special Effects' helped pave the way for the category to become a mainstay, eventually evolving into the 'Best Visual Effects' category we see today.