The winner was some woman whose film was about domestic violence and wife-beating, and during her speech, the camera cut to Laurence Fishburne, the actor who had played notorious wife beater Ike Turner. I got that. Whether that was on purpose or coincidental, I got the hilarious irony of that image which I thought probably went unrealized by an overwhelming percentage of the viewers. It means that when you watch a film you don't just watch it. You study it, look for the hidden meanings, look for the symbolism, admire the effort that went into putting those images and sounds up on that big silver screen in front of you.
Movies are certainly escapist outlets, where people can go to be simply entertained.
Not all movies can be considered art. Film buffs know their history. Knowing the history of film and knowing specific details of some of the more important or popular movies of the past adds another level to films made today, like a special set of subtitles that only we can see. Being a film buff also means that you study the movie and you notice little touches the film maker has thrown in, both technical and dramatically symbolic. For the film buff, extra little touches like these and others show us that the people behind the scenes really put some effort into what they're presenting for our approval.