Wings won the first Academy Award for Best Picture in 1929.
Directed by William A. Wellman, Wings is a 1927 American silent war film about two rival U.S. Army aviators competing for the affection of the same woman during World War I. Its aerial combat sequences were celebrated for their realism and technical ambition, with aircraft filmed in large-scale action rather than simulated entirely in studios.
At the first Academy Awards ceremony, held on May 16, 1929, the award was officially called “Best Picture, Production.” Wings also won the award for Best Engineering Effects, presented to Roy Pomeroy. The ceremony honored films released during 1927 and 1928 and took place at Hollywood’s Roosevelt Hotel.
Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans also received a top honor that night in the category of Unique and Artistic Production, which can cause confusion. The Academy later discontinued that category, leaving Wings recognized as the inaugural Best Picture winner. It remains the only fully silent film to win Best Picture.