Photo: Gage Skidmore / CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences presents its 17th Governors Awards on Sunday, November 15, 2026, at the Ray Dolby Ballroom at Ovation Hollywood in Los Angeles. Honorary Oscars go to Glenn Close, Ridley Scott and Floyd Norman, and the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award goes to producers Christine Vachon and Pamela Koffler, according to the Academy’s announcement.
Ridley Scott will accept remotely
Scott will not attend in person. WION and a Gold Derby update republished by Yahoo Entertainment both attribute the news to The Hollywood Reporter: the director, who is based in London, had a minor medical procedure last week and was advised not to fly. He is said to have pre-recorded his acceptance speech, which will be played during the ceremony. His family is still expected to travel to Los Angeles. Scott turns 89 on November 30.
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The Academy has not published a statement on this in the sources checked for this article, so it rests on the trade report as relayed by those outlets.
The honorees
Glenn Close
The Academy says Close’s career spans more than five decades and over 100 film credits. She has eight Oscar nominations, starting with her debut in The World According to Garp, followed by The Big Chill, The Natural, Fatal Attraction, Dangerous Liaisons, Albert Nobbs, The Wife and Hillbilly Elegy. The Academy’s list shows nominations only, with no competitive win.
Ridley Scott
Scott has Oscar nominations for directing Thelma & Louise, Gladiator and Black Hawk Down, plus a Best Picture nomination for The Martian. His other films include Alien, Blade Runner, Kingdom of Heaven, American Gangster, The Last Duel and Napoleon. His next feature is The Dog Stars. In 2024 he was made a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire for services to British film.
Floyd Norman
Norman began a 65-year career at Walt Disney Animation Studios in 1956 and became the studio’s first Black animator. His first Disney feature was Sleeping Beauty, and he went on to work on The Sword in the Stone, Mary Poppins, The Jungle Book and Robin Hood, along with the shorts Donald in Mathmagic Land and Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree. Later credits include The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Mulan, Toy Story 2 and Monsters, Inc., per the Academy. Laughing Place adds that he is known for mentoring generations of artists.
Christine Vachon and Pamela Koffler
The pair founded the New York independent company Killer Films in 1995. Credits listed by the Academy include Hedwig and the Angry Inch, One Hour Photo, The Notorious Bettie Page, May December and Materialists, and the company also made Safe, Far from Heaven, I’m Not There, Still Alice, Carol, First Reformed, Zola and A Different Man. They earned a Best Picture nomination for Past Lives. The Thalberg Award goes to a creative producer whose body of work consistently reflects high-quality production.
What the Governors Awards are
The Academy’s Board of Governors votes on the honorees. The Honorary Award recognises lifetime achievement, exceptional contributions to the art and science of motion pictures in any discipline, or outstanding service to the Academy. Jennifer Todd, who co-produced the 89th and 90th Oscars telecasts, is producing the event for the first time, per the Academy’s release. The Governors Awards are held separately from the main Oscars ceremony and are seen as the start of the awards season.
What is not confirmed
The sources checked do not name the presenters and do not say whether the evening will be broadcast or streamed. This page will not state either until the Academy confirms it.
The awards season is already under way: the Critics Choice Documentary Awards took place last weekend, and the winning film is covered in our report on You Can See Everything at the box office.
Sources
- Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences: honorees announcement
- Academy: Jennifer Todd to produce the 17th Governors Awards
- Laughing Place
- WION
- Gold Derby via Yahoo Entertainment
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