A Joseph Plateau Award : Awarded for: Excellence in cinematic achievements A Joseph Plateau Award was an accolade presented by the Flanders International Film Festival Ghent, first awarded in 1985. The awards were given in several categories to honor cinematic achievements in the film industry. They were restricted to Belgian cinema and Belgian producers, directors, and actors. The name of the award comes from the physicist Joseph Plateau (1801–1883). They were considered to be the Belgian equivalent to the Academy Awards of the United States. The awards ceremony was held in conjunction with the Flanders International Film Festival Ghent, which initially co-founded the event. The last award ceremony was held on March 7, 2006. Since then, two separate awards were established in Belgium in 2010: the Flemish Film Awards, named Ensor Awards, which are presented each year on the final day of the Ostend Film Festival; and the Magritte Awards, which were established by the Aca
Joseph Plateau Family and Personal Life : On August 27, 1840, Plateau married Augustine – Thérèse – Aimée – Fanny Clavareau: they had a son a year later. His daughter Alice Plateau married Gustaaf Van der Mensbrugghe in 1871, who became his collaborator and later his first biographer. After studying law, Joseph Plateau became one of the best-known Belgian scientists of the 19th century, remembered for his study of physiological optics, particularly the effect of light and color on the human retina.