Lights! Camera! Here come the Insurance Oscars!

Before you start snoring, think about how pervasive insurance is in American film. The Insurance Information Institute did, and came up with its own top10 insurance movies of all time.Many people have heard of "Double Indemnity," the 1944 murder-for-insurance film that tops the list, even if they haven't seen it. But the roster also features other popular films in which insurance is a plot theme or the career of a character, such as in "The Thomas Crown Affair," "To Catch a Thief" and "The Fortune Cookie."

With the Feb. 24 Academy Awards approaching, the insurance industry — perhaps feeling shut out this year — decided to grab the spotlight by naming its own winners from the last 65 years.

"The idea was just to recognize that insurance is an important part of society and has been depicted for decades as such in films," said Robert P. Hartwig, president of the industry-backed insurance institute.

But the plot thickens, because some of the films on the list slam insurers, like Michael Moore's health insurance documentary "Sicko," which is nominated for a real Oscar. And in "The Rainmaker," actor Danny DeVito's character complains about a health insurer: "Great Benefit is like a bad slot machine. It never pays off."

The institute doesn't represent health insurers, though. It spreads the gospel for property-casualty insurers, some of which sell life insurance, too.

Even though some of the films stereotype insurance people or disparage insurers, the institute hopes its Oscar list will draw more people to its website, where they might learn more about auto, home and life insurance. Hartwig said the staff is especially hoping to attract entertainment media to the site.

The site gives more information on the top 10 films, which include "Memento," "The Killers," "Save the Tiger," and "Along Came Polly." There's also a list of 29 other films with an insurance angle, such as "About Schmidt," "John Q" and "The Truman Show."

But don't expect a gala awards ceremony. Insurers won't parade down any red carpet — unless it's to check for tripping hazards. More information about the list is available at www.iii.org/media/updates/

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