Avatar. Did you have any doubt about that?

Matt Brennesholtz
Insight Media Analyst

Last night at the Mann Chinese Theater in Hollywood the International 3D Society gave its first ever Lumière awards to 3D movies. This is the first in a series of expected annual events. International 3D Society president Jim Chabin stated, "The presentation of the First Annual International 3D Awards has marked an historical milestone. They represent the first time in motion picture history that achievement in the 3D art form has been recognized. We believe tonight’s event was just the beginning of a lasting and appropriate recognition of 3D professionals by the international filmmaking community."

Not too surprisingly, Avatar From 20th Century Fox took the top prize for "Live Action 3D Feature Of The Year", plus it won half a dozen other awards as well. Neytiri (played by Zoe Saldana) won the award for "Best 3D Character" of the year. Avatar also won the People’s Choice award for the public’s favorite 3D movie. But we already knew it was the favorite since the people had voted with their feet, so to speak, to the tune of $2.5B worldwide. Other awards won by Avatar include "Best 3D Scene Of The Year", "Best 3D Stereography - Live Action", "Outstanding Achievement In 3D Visual Effects" and "Outstanding Achievement For Marketing 3D Content."

Up from Pixar won the award for the "Animated 3D Feature Of The Year."

Coraline from Focus Features won the People’s Choice award for favorite 3D animated Movie. It also won the Lumière for the "Best 3D Stereography - Animated."

Other awards went to Partly Cloudy, also from Pixar, in the category of "Best Short 3D Motion Picture/Narrative", the Imax film Under the Sea 3D won as the "Best 3D Documentary" and G-Force from Sony Imageworks and The Walt Disney Studios won for "Outstanding Achievement Of 2D To 3D Converted Feature."

Lenny Lipton, whose work in the 70s, 80s and 90s led to modern digital 3D systems and who always has a comment on everything 3D, commented, "After a century of effort 3D movies are finally here."

The "Lumière" statuettes presented at the ceremony were designed and sculpted by renowned artist Eileen Borgeson and were crafted by the R. S. Owens Company of Chicago, manufacturers of the Oscars Awards

Incidentally, the Lumière is named after the Lumière Brothers, the inventors of modern cinema, who in 1903 or 1904 (sources differ) produced the first known stereoscopic 3D movie, L’arrivée du train.

An expanded version of this article will appear in the March issue of Large Display Report.