On Sunday evening, Angelina Jolie was awarded for her admirable achievements in humanitarian work by The Board of Governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Jolie, who won an Oscar for her supporting performance in “Girl, Interrupted,” has been an impassioned advocate for humanitarian causes, traveling widely to promote organizations and social justice efforts such as the Prevent Sexual Violence Initiative. Jolie received the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award, an Oscar statuette given “to an individual in the motion picture industry whose humanitarian efforts have brought credit to the industry.”
Staking out a career at the nexus of entertainment and philanthropy, Jolie has worked for a number of global advocacy groups including the Council on Foreign Relations and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), for which she was appointed Special Envoy of High Commissioner António Guterres in 2012 after twelve years of service. Her dedication to these causes has also shaped her work in films that tackle global humanitarian issues including “A Mighty Heart” and her feature film directorial debut “In the Land of Blood and Honey.”
