The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is holding its 17th Governors Awards on Sunday evening at the Ray Dolby Ballroom at Ovation Hollywood, handing out Honorary Awards to actor Glenn Close, animator Floyd Norman and director Ridley Scott, plus the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award to producers Christine Vachon and Pamela Koffler. One name on that list, however, is expected to be missing from the room when the trophies go out.
According to a November 9 report from Gold Derby, Scott underwent a minor medical procedure the previous week and had been advised not to fly, meaning he would not attend in person. The outlet also reported that Scott had pretaped his acceptance speech the previous week, and it would be played during the ceremony in his absence. The Academy's own announcement, posted on its press site, does not address travel plans and instead focuses on the honorees' work, praising, among other things, what Academy President Lynette Howell Taylor called Glenn Close's unparalleled emotional range, according to press.oscars.org.
As MyNewsLA.com notes, Howell Taylor said the Academy's board of governors is thrilled to present this year's Governors Awards to five remarkable individuals whose groundbreaking work has forever shaped the art of filmmaking. She also cited Floyd Norman's barrier-breaking career as an animator and Ridley Scott's impact on global cinema, alongside Vachon and Koffler's role in championing independent filmmaking.
A Career Spanning Five Decades for Close
Close has had a film career spanning more than five decades, earning eight Academy Award nominations and more than 100 film credits, per the Academy's announcement. Her résumé includes The World According to Garp, The Big Chill, The Natural, Fatal Attraction, Dangerous Liaisons, Albert Nobbs, The Wife and Hillbilly Elegy.
Norman's story carries its own historical weight. He began working at Walt Disney Animation Studios in 1956, becoming the studio's first Black animator over the course of what the Academy describes as a 65-year career. His film credits include Sleeping Beauty, The Sword in the Stone, Mary Poppins, The Jungle Book, Robin Hood, Mulan, Toy Story 2 and Monsters, Inc.
Scott's Oscar Nominations and a Packed Filmography
Scott has received Academy Award directing nominations for Thelma & Louise, Gladiator and Black Hawk Down, and he picked up a Best Picture nomination as a producer for The Martian. His other film credits include Alien, Blade Runner, Legend, American Gangster, Prometheus, The Last Duel, House of Gucci and Napoleon.
Vachon and Koffler's Independent-Film Legacy
Vachon and Koffler founded the New York-based independent production company Killer Films in 1995, and the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award itself is meant to honor a creative producer whose body of work reflects a consistently high quality of motion picture production, according to organizers. Their producing credits include Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Boys Don't Cry, Far from Heaven, Carol, First Reformed, May December and Materialists, and the pair earned a Best Picture nomination for Past Lives in 2024.
Their recognition also marks a first for the award itself. The pair are the first female producing team and the first independent producers to receive the Thalberg Award, according to WRAL, which also notes that over the past 30 years, Koffler and Vachon have produced over 100 films through Killer Films.
The 17th Governors Awards ceremony itself is being produced by Jennifer Todd, marking her first time producing the event, according to the Academy's announcement. Sunday's gathering at Ovation Hollywood caps a year of recognition for five honorees whose careers, taken together, stretch across animation, blockbuster filmmaking and the scrappier corners of American independent cinema.
