And the Oscars go to…
Steve McQueen’s harrowing historical drama 12 Years a Slave took home the Best Picture Oscar at the 86th Academy Awards last night, while 3D space thriller Gravity was the top winner, with seven Oscars.
Gravity earned the best director Oscar for its Mexican director Alfonso Cuaron, as well as scooping prizes for best visual effects, sound editing, sound mixing, cinematography, film editing and original score.
Dallas Buyers Club – based on the real-life story of HIV/Aids activist Ron Woodruff – won three Oscars at the ceremony, including best actor for Matthew McConaughey and best supporting actor for Jared Leto.
Leto was the clear favourite for the award for his portrayal of a transgender woman suffering from Aids in Dallas Buyers Club.
The 30 Seconds to Mars rocker used his acceptance speech to send a message to anti-government protesters, saying: "To all the dreamers out there… in places like Ukraine and Venezuela, I want to say, we are here. And as you struggle to make your dreams happen, to live the impossible, we’re thinking of you tonight."
The ceremony – hosted for a second time by talk show host Ellen DeGeneres – saw Cate Blanchett take home the best actress award for Woody Allen’s Blue Jasmine and Kenyan actress Lupita Nyong’o win for her compelling turn in 12 Years a Slave.
A tearful Nyong’o earned a standing ovation as she took the stage to accept her prize, and paid tribute to her slave character Patsey in her speech, saying: "It doesn’t escape me for one moment that so much joy in my life is thanks to so much pain in someone else’s."
12 Years a Slave won a total of three awards – including best adapted screenplay – and during his best picture acceptance speech, British director McQueen dedicated the award to "all the people who have endured slavery and the 21 million people who still suffer slavery today".
David O Russell’s 1970s crime caper American Hustle and Martin Scorsese’s The Wolf of Wall Street both went home empty-handed at this year’s Academy Awards, which was widely considered as having the most crowded field in years.
Another major winner on the night was Disney’s Frozen, which won best animated feature and best original song for Let It Go, which was performed at the ceremony by Broadway superstar Idina Menzel.
Sunday’s star-studded ceremony also featured a performance by U2, playing Ordinary Love – their Oscar-nominated song from Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom – and Pink singing Over the Rainbow to celebrate the 75th anniversary of The Wizard of Oz.
