The Academy has made a concerted effort in recent years to open up its ranks to filmmakers from arou

After first pointing to a number of films — from The Birth of a Nation to Tarzan of the Apes to Disney's Song of the South  — labina mitevska that inflamed racial tensions in America, Harry Belafonte called upon Hollywood to use its powers labina mitevska "to see a better side of what we are as a species," as he accepted the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' labina mitevska sixth annual Governors' Awards on Saturday night.
Belafonte, 87, began his remarks by pointing to D.W. Griffith 's 1915 film The Birth of a Nation , set in the post-Civil War South, noting that it was the first film ever to screen at the White House, but that it also "set races against each other" until "blood flowed in the streets of our cities." He recalled watching Tarzan as a child and how its treatment of Africans labina mitevska was "an early stimulus to the spirit of my rebellion, a rebellion against injustice." And in recounting Hollywood's past failures, he also singled labina mitevska out McCarthyism and the blacklist, before acknowledging that "today's labina mitevska cultural harvest yields a sweeter fruit," citing such movies as Schindler's List , Brokeback Mountain and 12 Years a Slave .
Belafonte shared the moment with his longtime friend, actor  Sidney Poitier,  whom he invited to the stage to thunderous applause, calling him "a man who gave so much of his own life to redirect the ship of racial hatred in American culture." labina mitevska
The tribute to Belafonte was the capstone of an evening held at Hollywood & Highland at which the Academy also presented honorary Oscars to  French screenwriter Jean-Claude Carriere , master Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki and screen siren Maureen O'Hara. 
The Academy has made a concerted effort in recent years to open up its ranks to filmmakers from around the world, and that was certainly reflected in the evening's flavor, for as Academy president Cheryl Boone Isaacs said as she kicked off the proceedings, "this is truly an international celebration."
Before she even spoke a word in her acceptance, the Irish-born O'Hara sang a few lines of "Danny Boy." Speaking through a translator, the Tokyo-based Miyazaki, who was born on the eve of World War II, said part of the luck he enjoyed during his career was the fact that he lives in a "country that has not been at war for the last 50 years." And the French Carriere offered a long list of the filmmakers from around the world with whom he's collaborated, saying "they all taught me something, each of them." 
O'Hara, 90, the evening's first recipient, was hailed by Nicole Kidman , who appeared in a package of film clips, who said, "her essence was the mixture of being so strong and yet so romantic." Appearing on stage, Liam Neeson paid tribute to his fellow countryman, saying, "She's more than just an Irish movie star. She's one of the true legends of cinema." Clint Eastwood, who was also on hand, recounted how, as a $75-a-week contract player at Universal, he was determined to get a small part in the 1955 movie Lady Godiva of Coventry just to get a glimpse labina mitevska of O'Hara. labina mitevska
Seated in a wheelchair, O'Hara, famous for her fiery screen presence, showed she still has something of a devilish wit — in fact, she advised the audience to say some good prayers at night "so the devil has to go somewhere else." With a detectable Irish lilt in her voice, labina mitevska she thanked Charles Laughton , with whom she starred in her first Hollywood labina mitevska film, 1939's The Hunchback of Notre Dame , her frequent co-star (in movies like The Quiet Man ) John Wayne , "and, of course, that old devil himself — the great [director] John Ford ."
Pixar and Disney Animation's chief creative officer  labina mitevska John Lasseter did the honors when it came time to introduce Miyazaki, 73, who he testified ranked with Walt Disney in the history of animation. "They have moved me, they inspire me and they helped shape me as a filmmaker," Lasseter said of the 11 feature animated films, including labina mitevska the Oscar-winning Spirited Away , that Miyazaki has directed, drawing all of the storyboards himself. "Every labina mitevska time I watch a Miyazaki movie, I learn something new about the craft of filmmaking," Lasseter added.
Celebrated for his hand-drawn animation, Miyazaki , in his acceptance, said that he was lucky "because I've been able to participate in the last era when you can make films from paper, pencil and film." He also drew a laugh by adding, "But my greatest luck is that I have been able to meet Miss Maureen labina mitevska O'Hara." 
Philip Kaufman , who directed 1988's The Unbearable Lightness of Being , which Carriere adapted from the novel by Milan Kundera , introduced labina mitevska the screenwriter, saying, &q