John Waters, Isabelle Huppert, and 8 more suggestions for the upcoming Governors Awards

If last year is any indication, we are approximately two months away from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announcing its recipients for the upcoming Governors Awards. These are the annual non-competitive trophies which include Honorary Oscars, the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award, and the Irving Thalberg Memorial Award.

In recent years, some truly inspiring choices received these accolades, including David Lynch, Lina Wertmüller, Wes Studi, Elaine May, Danny Glover, and Peter Weir. However, the past two years have felt a bit underwhelming, with several honorees having already been feted with special awards, including Mel Brooks and Quincy Jones.

With this in mind, here are 10 suggestions for AMPAS to consider for its next round of Governors Awards:

John Waters

Bestowing an honorary award on the Pope of Trash might seem a little bizarre, but Waters has had an incredible career. He (along with longtime friend, Divine) was at the forefront of the rebellious cinema of the 1960s and ’70s with camp classics like Pink Flamingos and Female Trouble before finding somewhat more mainstream success with Hairspray and Serial Mom. In addition to his work as a filmmaker, he has also been a longtime champion of independent film, an author, actor, photographer, and all-around cultural icon.

Isabelle Huppert

Huppert is widely regarded as one of the greatest acting talents of her generation, and long before she earned her first Oscar nomination for Best Actress in Elle (2016). Since 1972, the French actress’s presence has been entertaining us with some of the most raw and intense performances that have been seen on screen. She’s also the most nominated actress in the history of the César Awards (France’s Oscar equivalent) with 16 nominations and winning Best Actress twice: La Cérémonie in 1995 and Elle. She’s also won the Best Actress honor at Cannes twice: Violette Nozière in 1978 (tied with Jill Clayburgh for An Unmarried Woman) and The Piano Teacher in 2001.

James Hong

Few actors working today have the experience that Hong has. He started acting in movies in 1955 in Soldier of Fortune starring Clark Gable. In the 70 years since then he has since amassed over 140 film credits including Flower Drum Song, The Sand Pebbles, Bound for Glory, Blade Runner, Big Trouble in Little China, Mulan, and Everything Everywhere All at Once. He’s currently 96 years old and has shown no signs of taking a step back from his work.

Steve Buscemi, Denis Leary, Jon Stewart

For their combined work for firefighters and first responders, this trio would be an excellent choice for the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award. Buscemi worked as an FDNY firefighter in Little Italy from 1980 until 1984 when he started getting regular work as an actor. After 9/11, Buscemi went back to his old ladder at Engine 55 to suit up and work 12-hour shifts clearing rubble, searching for the missing and putting out the fire at Ground Zero. He has also worked on several documentaries that have highlighted the work of the FDNY and the health problems that 9/11 first responders have encountered in the years since the attacks. Leary has been most associated with firefighters through the Leary Firefighters Foundation, which has dispersed more than $2.5 million to fire departments in Massachusetts and New York City. A separate fund, the Fund for New York’s Bravest, is run by Leary’s foundation and has distributed an additional $2 million to the families of the 343 firefighters whose lives were taken on 9/11. In 2005, he stepped in to help donate more than a dozen rescue boats for the New Orleans Fire Department to use in rescue operations in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina as well as helping to rebuild several destroyed firehouses in the city. Stewart’s commitments have been on display since his impassioned monologue upon his return to the airwaves after 9/11. His advocacy first showed in 2010 when he used an entire episode of The Daily Show to advocate for the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act and shame the politicians who were holding up its passage in Congress. Stewart’s advocacy has also extended to our troops in his support of the USO and championing the PACT Act to support troops who have had their health impacted by exposure to toxic substances from burn pits.

Jerry Bruckheimer

If you were to take a producer’s credits and total up their box-office returns, few working today would match the amount that Bruckheimer has brought in. Since he started producing in the 1970s, Bruckheimer's projects have brought in more than $14 billion at the worldwide box office. He has helped to pioneer franchises including Top Gun, Beverly Hills Cop, Pirates of the Caribbean, Bad Boys, and National Treasure. Among his stand alone films he’s produced are Flashdance, Days of Thunder, Crimson Tide, The Rock, Armageddon, Pearl Harbor, Remember the Titans, and Black Hawk Down. All this doesn’t even touch on his impact on television and the gaming industry. Variety would go on to describe the “Bruckheimer touch” as a “consistently edgy, high-octane visual dynamic and equally distinctive storytelling driven by the triumphalism so popular with Madison Avenue.” With all this considered, Bruckheimer would be perfect to be the 40th recipient of the Thalberg Award.

Werner Herzog

One of the most celebrated living filmmakers, Herzog was one of the pioneering figures in New German Cinema. Over the course of 60 years he has made 20 narrative features (including Aguirre, the Wrath of God, Stroszek, Nosferatu the Vampyre, and Fitzcarraldo) and 31 documentary features (including Grizzly Man, Encounters at the End of the World, and Cave of Forgotten Dreams). His work has also extended to the realm of being an actor (including a stint on The Mandalorian), author, opera director, and film school administrator.

Yuen Woo-ping

You may not know the name off the top of your head, but you definitely know the cinematic fights that Yuen helped to choreograph. Among his most celebrated works were his action sequences for The Matrix films, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, both Kill Bill movies, Kung Fu Hustle, and Fearless. In addition to his work as a fight choreographer on 70-plus films, Yuen has also been making movies as a director since the mid-1970s, having directed almost 30 feature films including Drunken Master, Iron Monkey, Tai Chi Master, and Wing Chun.

Alfre Woodard

Woodard is one of the hardest working actors currently in the industry. Since her debut in Remember My Name in 1978, she has appeared in more than 70 films as well as more than 50 television shows. It’s crazy that she has earned only one Oscar nomination over her long career: Best Supporting Actress in 1983 for Cross Creek. She’s also had stand out performances in Passion Fish, Down in the Delta, Love & Basketball, 12 Years a Slave, and Clemency. While she has never won an Oscar, she has won a Golden Globe, four Emmys, three SAG Awards, and a Spirit Award.

Agnieszka Holland

Holland is one of the most talented filmmakers to come out of Polish cinema. A mentee of legendary director Andrzej Wajda, Holland is probably most known for her Holocaust drama, Europa Europa for which she earned her sole Oscar nomination for Adapted Screenplay. Since directing her first short in 1970, Holland has made over 20 feature films. Three different countries have submitted her films for International Feature: Angry Harvest from Germany in 1985, In Darkness from Poland in 2011, and Charlatan from Czech Republic in 2020. The first two received nominations in the category.

Jafar Panahi

Having worked under fellow Iranian Abbas Kiarostami for several years, Panahi burst on to the scene with The White Balloon in 1995 and won the Camera d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival that year. He continued as one of Iran’s top filmmakers but in 2010 he faced arrest for what authorities called “propaganda against the Islamic Republic.” He was sentenced to house arrest and forbidden from making movies or leaving Iran for 20 years. Panahi has not let that stop him. Since his sentencing, he has made six movies in the country that’s persecuting him, including a documentary literally called This Is Not a Film. An honorary Oscar would be the perfect thing to be waiting for him after he’s finally allowed to leave the country.

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