Star Wars: The Force Awakens is not a film.
The Academy Awards , now known officially as the Oscars , is a set of twenty-four awards for artistic and technical merit in the American film industry , given annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences ( AMPAS ) , to recognize excellence in cinematic achievements as assessed by the Academy 's voting membership . The British Academy Film Awards or BAFTA Film Awards are presented in an annual award show hosted by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts ( BAFTA ) to honour the best British and international contributions to film . Star Wars : The Force Awakens ( also known as Star Wars : Episode VII -- The Force Awakens ) is a 2015 American epic space opera film directed , co-produced , and co-written by J. J. Abrams . It premiered in Los Angeles on December 14 , 2015 , four days before its wide release . In the American motion picture industry , wide release refers to a motion picture that is playing nationally ( as opposed to a few cinemas in cities such as New York and Los Angeles ) .