Though Oscar nominations have yet to be announced, one 119-year-old contender has already won a statuette

Cook Optics, which has made lenses for the movies since 1893 (and has a letter from Thomas Edison to prove it) will receive a technical Oscar this year. The "Cooke Look" is sought after by cinematographers. Talkies put the Leicester, England company on the map when noisy arc lights had to be abandoned in favor of dimmer (but quiet) incandescents, necessitating the use of the kind of fast lenses that the company was known for. Here's an interview with the company president talking about his firm's history.