Oscar winners 2016: And the Academy Award goes to…
On Sunday evening, Leonardo DiCaprio’s Oscar dreams finally became a reality after winning his first Oscar for survival epic THE REVENANT, after six nominations.
At the 88th Academy Awards, which was hosted by Chris Rock, DiCaprio received a standing ovation as he picked up his award, having had five acting nominations and one nomination as producer of best picture nominee WOLF OF WALL STREET.
During his acceptance speech, which you can watch in the video player above, he said making THE REVENANT was “about man’s relationship to the natural world”.
“Climate change is real – it is happening right now,” he said. “It is the most urgent threat right now to our entire species and we need to work now. Let us not take this planet for granted. I do not take tonight for granted.”
The actor also paid homage to the director of the film, Alejandro González Iñárritu and his friend and co-star Tom Hardy.
The Oscars took place two weeks after DiCaprio won a BAFTA for Best Actor and that proved to be a good indicator of his impending Academy Awards success after dominating most of the awards season with his sublime performance in THE REVENANT. DiCaprio has had to wait a long time for it though as has never won a Best Actor Oscar before, despite three previous nominations and relentless campaigning from fans.
The 41-year-old faced tough competition in the form of Eddie Redmayne, Bryan Cranston, Matt Damon and Michael Fassbender for the statue for their roles in THE DANISH GIRL, TRUMBO, THE MARTIAN and STEVE JOBS respectively.
That wasn’t the only big win on the night for the movie, with THE REVENANT’s director Alejandro G. Iñárritu making history winning his second consecutive best director award. The Mexican-born filmmaker is the first director to win back-to-back Oscars since Joseph L. Mankiewicz, who turned the trick at the 1950 and 1951 ceremonies. Iñárritu, who last year won for BIRDMAN, took home Best Director this year.
“I can’t believe this is happening,” he said during his speech, thanking co-stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hardy. “It’s amazing to receive this award tonight, but it’s much more beautiful for me to share it with all the talented and crazy cast and colleagues and crew members along the continent that made this film possible.”
The film, which won 3 of the 12 awards it was nominated for, was unable to also bag the Best Picture award also. The film faced tough competition from THE BIG SHORT and SPOTLIGHT. THE BIG SHORT WAS not initially seen as the favourite to triumph, but its chances were boosted after it won the top prize at the Producers Guild Awards (PGA). However, it was SPOTLIGHT that took home the Best Picture Oscar.
There were no real surprises in the Best Actress category either, as ROOM’s Brie Larson also won her first Academy Award for her emotional role. Take a look at her acceptance speech below:
“The thing that I love about movie-making is how many people it takes to make it,” she said in her acceptance speech. “Thank you to the moviegoers.”
Larson beat Saoirse Ronan, Charlotte Rampling and previous winners Cate Blanchett and Jennifer Lawrence – the latter has already picked up a Golden Globe for her performance in JOY.
In the Supporting categories, Alicia Vikander was the lady that was victorious, getting her hands on her first Academy Award for her role in THE DANISH GIRL. She beat Kate Winslet who stood a strong chance of taking home Best Supporting Actress after winning in the category both at the Golden Globes and the BAFTAS. Vikander was also up against Jennifer Jason Leigh, Rooney Mara and Rachel McAdams.
Best Supporting Actor went t0 Mark Rylance for his role in BRIDGE OF SPIES and he beat Christian Bale, Mark Ruffalo, Sylvester Stallone and Tom Hardy.
Fellow Briton Sam Smith won best original song for SPECTRE.
By the end of the ceremony, it was however, MAD MAX: FURY ROAD that picked up the most awards of the night, with six accolades.
Here is the full list of Oscar winners:
Best picture
Winner: Spotlight
The Big Short
Bridge of Spies
Brooklyn
Mad Max: Fury Road
The Martian
The Revenant
Room
Best actor
Winner: Leonardo DiCaprio – The Revenant
Bryan Cranston – Trumbo
Matt Damon – The Martian
Michael Fassbender – Steve Jobs
Eddie Redmayne – The Danish Girl
Best actress
Winner: Brie Larson – Room
Cate Blanchett – Carol
Jennifer Lawrence – Joy
Charlotte Rampling – 45 Years
Saoirse Ronan – Brooklyn
Best supporting actor
Winner: Mark Rylance – Bridge of Spies
Christian Bale – The Big Short
Tom Hardy – The Revenant
Mark Ruffalo – Spotlight
Sylvester Stallone – Creed
Best supporting actress
Winner: Alicia Vikander – The Danish Girl
Jennifer Jason Leigh – The Hateful Eight
Rooney Mara – Carol
Rachel McAdams – Spotlight
Kate Winslet – Steve Jobs
Best director
Winner: Alejandro Inarritu – The Revenant
Lenny Abrahamson – Room
Tom McCarthy – Spotlight
Adam McKay – The Big Short
George Miller – Mad Max: Fury Road
Best adapted screenplay
Winner: The Big Short
Brooklyn
Carol
The Martian
Room
Best original screenplay
Winner: Spotlight
Bridge of Spies
Ex Machina
Inside Out
Straight Outta Compton
Best animated film
Winner: Inside Out
Anomalisa
Boy and the World
Shaun the Sheep Movie
When Marnie Was There
Best foreign language film
Winner: Son of Saul – Hungary
Embrace of the Serpent – Colombia
Mustang – France
Theeb – Jordan
A War – Denmark
Best animated short
Winner: Bear Story
Prologue
Sanjay’s Super Team
We Can’t Live without Cosmos
World of Tomorrow
Best cinematography
Winner: The Revenant
Carol
The Hateful Eight
Mad Max: Fury Road
Sicario
Best costume design
Winner: Mad Max: Fury Road
Carol
Cinderella
The Danish Girl
The Revenant
Best documentary feature
Winner: Amy
Cartel Land
The Look of Silence
What Happened, Miss Simone?
Winter on Fire: Ukraine’s Fight for Freedom
Best documentary short
Winner: A Girl in the River: The Price of Forgiveness
Body Team 12
Chau, Beyond the Lines
Claude Lanzmann: Spectres of the Shoah
Last Day of Freedom
Best editing
Winner: Mad Max: Fury Road
The Big Short
The Revenant
Spotlight
Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Best live action short
Winner: Stutterer
Ave Maria
Day One
Everything Will Be Okay (Alles Wird Gut)
Shok
Best make-up and hair
Winner: Mad Max: Fury Road
The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared
The Revenant
Best original score
Winner: The Hateful Eight, Ennio Morricone
Bridge of Spies
Carol
Sicario
Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Best original song
Winner: Writing’s on the Wall, Sam Smith – Spectre
Earned It, The Weeknd – Fifty Shades of Grey
Manta Ray, J Ralph & Antony – Racing Extinction
Simple Song #3, Sumi Jo – Youth
Til It Happens To You, Lady Gaga – The Hunting Ground
Best production design
Winner: Mad Max: Fury Road
Bridge of Spies
The Danish Girl
The Martian
The Revenant
Best sound editing
Winner: Mad Max: Fury Road
The Martian
The Revenant
Sicario
Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Best sound mixing
Winner: Mad Max: Fury Road
Bridge of Spies
The Martian
The Revenant
Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Best visual effects
Winner: Ex Machina
Mad Max: Fury Road
The Martian
The Revenant
Star Wars: The Force Awakens