The
78th Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), took place on March 5, 2006, at the
Kodak Theatre in
Hollywood, Los Angeles beginning at 5:00 p.m.
PST / 8:00 p.m.
EST. The ceremony was scheduled one week later than usual to avoid conflicting with the
2006 Winter Olympics. During the ceremony, AMPAS presented
Academy Awards (commonly referred to as Oscars) in 24 categories honoring
films released in 2005. The ceremony, televised in the United States by
ABC, was produced by
Gil Cates and directed by Louis J. Horvitz. Talk show host
Jon Stewart hosted the show for the first time. Two weeks earlier in a ceremony at
The Beverly Hilton in
Beverly Hills, California held on February 18, the
Academy Awards for Technical Achievement were presented by host
Rachel McAdams.