70th Academy Awards ceremony , organized by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences ( AMPAS ) , took place on March 23 , 1998 , at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles beginning at 6:00 p.m. PST / 9:00 p.m. EST . During the show , AMPAS presented Academy Awards ( commonly referred to as Oscars ) in 24 categories honoring films released in 1997 . The ceremony , which was televised in the United States by ABC , was produced by Gil Cates and directed by Louis J. Horvitz . Actor Billy Crystal hosted the show for the sixth time . He first presided over the 62nd ceremony held in 1990 , and he had hosted the previous year 's gala . Nearly a month earlier in an event held at the Regent Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills , California on February 28 , the Academy Awards for Technical Achievement were presented by host Ashley Judd
previous year 's gala
69th Academy Awards
70th Academy Awards