Rolex’s commitment to perpetual excellence in cinema continues at the Oscars this year with a Perpetual Planet-themed Greenroom
Discover Rolex’s commitment to perpetual excellence in cinema
ROLEX AND CINEMA are inextricably linked through a remarkable history. For decades, its watches have appeared in films, chosen by film directors for the qualities they reflect: toughness, precision and an unremitting aspiration to be the best. On the wrist, be it of a character or a real-life person, a Rolex makes a powerful statement.
Through its partnerships, Rolex aims to support the art of filmmaking and preserve the history of film while championing those who break boundaries. Creating these longterm relationships with individuals and organisations that recognise and uphold excellence is part of Rolex’s ethos, instilled by the founder of the company, Hans Wilsdorf. Since 2017, Rolex has been the exclusive watch partner of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, not to mention proud sponsor of the Oscars.
Last year, the watch manufacture supported the Governors Awards, a presentation hosted by the Academy that honours lifetime achievement in film. The brand has also hosted the Greenroom at the Dolby Theatre since 2016, this year treating its guests to an aquatic theme, a reference to Rolex’s Perpetual Planet campaign that aims to preserve the oceans by expanding its partnerships with individuals, institutions and organisations that promote exploration and the protection of the environment.
Starting from 2019, Rolex has formed additional artistic links with the Oscars.
During the In Memoriam segment of the 91st edition of the Oscars, acclaimed Venezuelan music director and Rolex Testimonee
Gustavo Dudamel conducted the Los Angeles Philharmonic, which has also been associated with Rolex for many years. The conductor has been the music and artistic director of the LA Phil since 2009.
HEROES BEHIND THE SCENES
Rolex’s support for the craft of filmmaking extends to partnerships with some of the world’s most accomplished directors including Kathryn Bigelow (Hurt Locker), James Cameron (Avatar), Alejandro G. Iñárritu (Birdman) and Martin Scorsese (Taxi Driver), all of whom parallel the brand’s quest for perpetual excellence. The four directors have collectively won 57 Academy Awards.
These masters of their craft inspire through ideas and stories that expand our world. They also impart their wisdom to new generations of filmmakers. In a Rolex film broadcasted during the Oscars ceremony, the four directors write letters to young filmmakers, encouraging them to believe in their own convictions as storytellers.
“Use your gifts to reach beyond your wildest imagination. Make a difference in this world,” says Kathryn Bigelow. Alejandro G. Iñárritu adds: “When you explore and share your human experience through images, you will share with the world the mystery of those things that can only be felt, and not
said. Transcend your reason and follow your intuition.” James Cameron exhorts young filmmakers to listen: “A confident filmmaker is open to ideas, from those around you, and from those above. Know when lightning strikes and be quick to bottle it.” Martin Scorsese addresses young filmmakers who are “burning” to tell a story. “Don’t be afraid to try anything, no matter how crazy it might seem to others,” he says.
ROLEX GREENROOM TAKES OSCARS UNDERWATER
On Oscar night in Los Angeles, presenters of the Academy Awards traditionally gather in the Greenroom at the Dolby Theatre before appearing on stage in a live broadcast to millions of people. Since 2016, Rolex has been responsible for the design of this famous room, changing the theme every year.
In 2019, guests were invited on a journey to the bottom of the sea, a theme that is linked to the company’s Perpetual Planet campaign. Greenroom guests were invited to join Rolex on an underwater journey that started at a bronzed door, shaped like a hatch. Inside, they found themselves in a vessel looking out through portholes to a world governed by the denizens of the deep, who appeared in dramatic photos, made intensely real by backlighting. Echoes of the sea were everywhere, from the colour palette of vivid oceanic blues, to furniture that evokes the soft shapes of waves and starfish. Coral-shaped laser cut-outs on the walls and ceiling, backlit in blue, offered a version of the sea as we imagine it.
Rolex also paid homage to the pure theatre of filmmaking through a mise-enscène in an aquarium that was framed like a cinema screen from the days of old Hollywood. The actual Rolex Deepsea Challenge watch that accompanied James Cameron to the deepest point of the oceans was displayed among the stylised fish that were depicted among seaweed and shells, all exquisitely sculptured by hand and covered in leather.
“The Greenroom theme is a celebration of the underwater world, one that Rolex is seeking to help protect through its Perpetual Planet commitment. Our aim is to expand our partnerships with individuals, institutions and organizations that promote exploration and the protection of the environment,” said Arnaud Boetsch, director of communication and image at Rolex.
MUSEUM DEDICATED TO FILM HERITAGE
Rolex is also assisting in the transmission of the cinematic arts to future generations by contributing to the preservation of cinema history as Founding Supporter of the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures. The Museum, designed by leading international architect Renzo Piano, is under construction in Los Angeles and is due to open later this year.
Located in the heart of the film industry in Los Angeles, the Museum, which will have 50,000 square feet of exhibition galleries, will be the pre-eminent institution exploring the art and science of the moving image.
Rolex will host a gallery featuring films in which the brand has played a role. Through the company’s mentoring program, young filmmakers receive one-to-one guidance from some of the world’s greatest filmmakers. The Rolex Mentor and Protégé Arts Initiative, which was set up in 2002, contributes to the arts by helping to ensure the world’s artistic heritage is passed on to the next generation. Past mentors in film include Martin Scorsese, Alejandro G. Iñárritu, Walter Murch, Stephen Frears, Mira Nair, Alfonso Cuarón and Zhang Yimou. AM