Argo, Ben Affleck’s retelling of the 1979 Iranian Hostage Crisis, took the title of Best Picture at the 85th Academy Awards. Right behind him was Ang Lee’s Best Director honor for Life of Pi, his second win of the award, which he had previously taken home for Brokeback Mountain. Though Affleck’s film had gained followers recently, both awards were long predicted to go to Steven Spielberg’s biopic Lincoln, making Lee’s win a stunning upset in the category.
Acting awards went to widely-predicted winners, including Daniel Day-Lewis as the title character in Lincoln, Jennifer Lawrence for her acclaimed performance in the comedy Silver Linings Playbook, and Anne Hathaway as the tragic heroine Fantine in Les Miserables. Day-Lewis’ win was his third, a record for the category. Christoph Waltz took his second Best Supporting Actor, again for a Quentin Tarantino film, this time as an abolitionist in Django Unchained. That film also took home a screenwriting award, along with Argo. Pixar films kept their near-perfect Best Animated Film streak going with a win for Brave.