82nd Annual Academy Awards
ABC

Barbra made a rare public appearance last night at the 82nd Annual Academy Awards, at the Kodak Theater in Los Angeles, to present the “Best Director” Oscar to Kathryn Bigelow, the first Woman to win an Academy Award in that category.

Bigelow was only the fourth woman nominated for the prize. Her low-budget Iraq war film, The Hurt Locker, was the big winner at the ceremony. It took six academy awards, including those for best picture and best original screenplay.

Statement from Barbra:

1992 was called “the year of the woman” so in 1993 before presenting the award for best director I said, “Tonight the Academy honors women and the movies but I look forward to the time when tributes like this will no longer be necessary because women will be honored without regard to gender but simply for the excellence of their work.”

Well the time has come, it’s 2010 – 17 years later and it was with great pleasure that I presented the award for Best Director to Kathryn Bigelow.