Oscars 2015: Winners list (major

ones)
BBC.COM

Best picture
Winner: Birdman
American Sniper
Boyhood
The Grand Budapest Hotel
The Imitation Game
Selma
The Theory of Everything
Whiplash

Best director
Winner: Alejandro G Inarritu, Birdman
Wes Anderson, The Grand Budapest Hotel
Richard Linklater, Boyhood
Bennett Miller, Foxcatcher
Morten Tyldum, The Imitation Game

Best actor
Winner: Eddie Redmayne, The Theory of Everything
Steve Carell, Foxcatcher
Bradley Cooper, American Sniper
Benedict Cumberbatch, The Imitation Game
Michael Keaton, Birdman

Best actress
Winner: Julianne Moore, Still Alice
Marion Cotillard, Two Days, One Night
Felicity Jones, The Theory of Everything
Rosamund Pike, Gone Girl
Reese Witherspoon, Wild

Best supporting actor

Winner: JK Simmons, Whiplash
Robert Duvall, The Judge
Ethan Hawke, Boyhood
Edward Norton, Birdman
Mark Ruffalo, Foxcatcher

Best supporting actress

Winner: Patricia Arquette, Boyhood
Laura Dern, Wild
Keira Knightley, The Imitation Game
Emma Stone, Birdman

Meryl Streep, Into the Woods

Best adapted screenplay

Winner: The Imitation Game
American Sniper
Inherent Vice
The Theory of Everything
Whiplash

Best original screenplay

Winner: Birdman
Boyhood
Foxcatcher
The Grand Budapest Hotel
Nightcrawler

Best animated feature

Winner: Big Hero 6
The Boxtrolls
How to Train Your Dragon 2
Song of the Sea
The Tale of Princess Kaguya

Oscars 2015: Everything you need to

know about what happened at the
87th Academy Awards
THE INDEPENDENT 23 Feb 2015 Tim Walker

Birdman struck it lucky, Boyhood was robbed and Eddie Redmayne ran
away with the Oscar for Best Actor, but what else went on at last nights
87th annual Academy Awards?

It was the most political Oscars ceremony for... ever?

Forget Michael Moore protesting the war in Iraq, or Marlon Brando sending a Native
American rights activist up to accept his award for Best Actor. Last nights was the
most campaigning crop of Oscar winners in memory. There were calls for womens
rights, African-American civil rights, immigrant rights and gay rights. Did I miss
anything?
Reese Witherspoon, Patricia Arquette and Julianne Moore lent their voices to a red
carpet campaign to take women more seriously. The #AskHerMore campaign
encourages journalists to ask Hollywood actresses more than just what they're
wearing. As Witherspoon said: "It's hard being a woman in Hollywood."

Arquette also called for equal pay for women at the end of her acceptance speech for
best supporting actress in Boyhood. She said: "To every woman who gave birth, to
every taxpayer and citizen of this nation, we have fought for everybody elses equal
rights. Its time to have wage equality once and for all. And equal rights for women in
the United States of America.
Civil rights groups staged a protest outside the Dolby Theater intending to "send a
message to Hollywood and the film industry" that this year's "white wash" (all 20
acting nominees were Caucasian) was not acceptable.
Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu hailed Birdman's win as a triumph for Mexico and during
his acceptance speech said he "he prayed and hoped [the country] can build the
government that we deserve" and urged Americans to treat immigrants "with the
respect they deserve".
Dana Perry, the co-director of Best Documentary Short winnerCrisis Hotline: Veterans
Press 1, called for greater public awareness of suicide. Graham Moore, winner of Best
Adapted Screenplay for The Imitation Game, revealed he had attempted suicide at 16
because he felt weird. This is for that kid who feels like they dont fit in, he said:
Stay weird, stay different.
Redmayne, meanwhile, dedicated his win to ALS sufferers around the world
specifically Stephen Hawking, whom he portrayed in The Theory of
Everything. Julianne Moore, who won Best Actress for her portrayal of a woman
diagnosed with Alzheimers in Still Alice, reserved particular thanks for her co-director
Richard Glatzer, who also suffers from ALS.
Does that mean it was boring?
The verdict on social media is that it was pretty average as the Academy Awards go. It
didn't offend too many people, but the laughs weren't exactly abundant. This GIF of
David Oyelowo sums things up nicely.
Everything went according to the script
It was a night of few surprises. Moore and Redmayne had both become the runaway
favourites in their categories, while Patricia Arquette (Boyhood) and JK Simmons
(Whiplash) were long-destined to win Best Supporting Actress and Actor respectively.
While Boyhood led the field for Best Picture in the early days of awards season, by last
night Birdman had the momentum.
Alejandro Gonzlez Irritus black backstage comedy won four awards including Best
Picture and Best Director. That tally was matched by Wes Andersons Grand Budapest
Hotel, which won awards for its costumes; make-up and hairstyling; production design
and original score.
The Mexicans are coming
Despite all the fuss about the Academys lack of diversity, a Latin American filmmaker
has now won the Oscar for Best Director two years in a row. In 2014 it was Alfonso
Cuaron for Gravity; this year it was Irritu, who also shared the gong for Best Original
Screenplay. Meanwhile, his fellow Mexican, Birdmancinematographer Emmanuel
Lubezki, took home his second Oscar in as many years he also won last year
for Gravity.

I want to dedicate this award for my fellow Mexicans, the ones who live in Mexico,
Irritu said as he accepted the Best Picture statuette. And the ones that live in this
country, who are part of the latest generation of immigrants, I just pray that they can
be treated with the same dignity and respect as the ones who came before and built
this incredible immigrant nation.
Who cares who wore who?
Patricia Arquette, named Best Supporting Actress for her 12-years-in-the-making turn
as a working mother in Boyhood, ended her acceptance speech with a demand for
gender equality, which was cheered enthusiastically by her fellow nominee Meryl
Streep. Its our time to have wage equality once and for all and equal rights for
women in the United States of America, Arquette said.
Her remarks came on a night when the hashtag #AskHerMore trended on Twitter,
encouraging journalists to ask actresses better questions than simply which designer
created her outfit. This is a movement to say were more than just our dresses, Best
Actress nominee Reese Witherspoon told one interviewer on the red carpet. Its hard
being a woman in Hollywood.
Its good to talk
The most touching acceptance speech of the night was the first: JK Simmons, named
Best Supporting Actor for his performance as a terrifying music teacher in Whiplash,
urged everyone in the crowd everyone in the world, in fact to call their parents.
Call your mom, call your dad, Simmons said. If youre lucky enough to have a
parent or two alive on this planet, call em. Dont text. Dont email. Call them on the
phone. Tell em you love em, and thank them, and listen to them for as long as they
want to talk to you.
Consolation prize
It may have got fewer nominations than it deserved, but the Martin Luther King
biopic Selma still provided the ceremonys emotional high point: Common and John
Legends rendition of Glory, the civil rights anthem they composed for the film,
which left several audience members in tears and earned a lengthy standing ovation
not to mention the Oscar for Best Original Song.
Legend noted the continuing struggle for civil rights in his acceptance speech, saying:
The Voting Rights Act that they fought for 50 years ago is being compromised right
now, in this country, today. We know that right now, the struggle for freedom and
justice is real. We live in the most incarcerated country in the world. There are more
black men under correctional control today then there were under slavery in 1850.
When people are marching with our song, we want to tell you we are with you. We see
you, we love you, and march on. God bless you.
A fine night for British film
Redmayne isnt the only Brit wholl be flying home with an Oscar in his suitcase.
British filmmakers Matt Kirkby and James Lucas triumphed in the Best Live Action
Short category for their filmPhone Call, starring Sally Hawkins. Anna Pinnock, the
production designer for the next Bond film, won an Oscar for her work on The Grand
Budapest Hotel. And the British team who created the deep space setting of
Christopher Nolans sci-fi epicInterstellar Paul Franklin, Andrew Lockley, Ian Hunter

and Scott Fisher won the Oscar for Best Visual Effects.
Neil Patrick Harris is no Hugh Jackman. Then again, hes no Seth MacFarlane
either.
Hes very hard to dislike, but after a strong opening number, host Neil Patrick Harriss
jokes mostly fell flat. His best gag was his first Tonight we honour Hollywoods best
and whitest I mean, brightest... a dig at the Academys diversity woes. Still, he
was funnier than James Franco.

Everything You Need to Know About the Controversies Surrounding This Years Oscar
Movies
TIME 20 Feb, 2015
American Sniper: Nomianted for Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Adapted
Screenplay
Director Clint Eastwoods depiction of Navy SEAL Sniper Chris Kyle, who the military
credits with more kills than any other soldier in American history, has ignited a debate
between the left and the right as to whether Kyle (Bradley Cooper) was a hero or a
murderer. Sarah Palin, Seth Rogen and Michael Moore have all weighed in on the
politics of American Sniper.
To further complicate matters, Kyles memoir, upon which the film is based, has come
under scrutiny for possibly stretching the truth.Several journalists have tried and
failed to corroborate some of the tales in the memoir, including one in which Kyle set
up as a sniper atop the Superdome after Hurricane Katrina and shot 30 looters.
From American Sniper to Selma and Grand Budapest Hotel
Blame Twitter or overly zealous pundits: Everyone is mad aboutsomething at this
years Oscars. Almost every nominated picture has stirred up controversy and protests
at one point or another during the awards season.
Some movies are being accused of bungling facts, others of being too political and
others still of sending the wrong message.

Heres your outline for every Oscar movie controversy.

Foxcatcher: Nominated for Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor, Best Director
Every Oscar biopic has come under fire this year for playing fast and loose with the
facts. But Foxcatcher is the only one to earn the ire of one of its subjects.
Mark Schultz, one of the two wrestler brothers in Foxcatcher, initially lambasted the
movie.I HATE BENNETT MILLER, Schultzwrote in tweets that have since been
deleted. I HATE EVERYTHING THAT SCUM TOUCHES. EVERYTHING!!! In a nowdeletedFacebook post, he explain that he objected to the films inference that there
might have been a sexual relationship between him and his sponsor and coach,
millionaire John du Pont (played by Steve Carrell in the film).
Schultz (who is played by Channing Tatum) has since apologized for his remarks and
called the film a miracle:
Gone Girl: Nominated for Best Actress
Gone Girl pits a feminist psychopath against a charming misogynist in a truly screwedup marriage. In the novel, each despicable character gets to tell his or her story and
vie for the readers sympathy. But when self-ascribed feminist author Gillian Flynn
translated her book to a screenplay, much of the two characters inner narratives had
to be lost, changing the dynamic of the film.
[spoilers] People unhappy with the film will argue that without the context of the book,
Amy is a misogynists worst nightmarea feminist who fakes rape, stages a
pregnancy and murders men. People who liked the movie will argue that not all
women (and not all feminists) have to be representative of womankind, and that we
ought to have all sorts of fictional women (psychos or not, feminists or not) just like
we ought to have all sorts of male characters.
The Grand Budapest Hotel: Nominated for Best Picture, Best Director, Best
Original Screenplay
Wes Anderson has a very distinct stylebold colors, quirky humor, whimsyone
which maybe wasnt the most appropriate for a fictional film inspired by the Nazi
occupation. In short, he makes fascism look a little twee.
Some critics argue that Anderson takes his escapist fantasies too far by reimagining
Nazi symbolism in a way that feels too cute considering the gravity of the subject

matter (the SS become pink ZZs). But, as Anderson told NPR, Part of why I feel the
impulse to reimagine [World War II] rather than just do it is because its been done so
many times before. If audiences have grown numb to the atrocities of Naziism, he
reasoned, perhaps re-envisioning the events would also re-awaken viewers to its evil.
The Imitation Game: Nominated for Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Actress,
Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay
The story of Alan Turingthe man who helped end World War II by inventing the
computer and breaking the Nazi code, then was forced to undergo chemical castration
by his own government because he was gayis a heroic one. But critics
have challenged the filmmakers for avoiding the issue of Turings sexuality: in the
movie, Turing (Benedict Cumberbatch) has no romantic encounters with men. Perhaps
even more contentious is a fictional episode in which Turing is blackmailed by a Soviet
spy over his sexuality, implying that he was a traitor.
Selma: Nominated for Best Picture, Best Original Song
Perhaps the film that has stirred up the most controversy this Oscar season is Selma.
First, despite getting rave reviews from critics and historians alike, a former aide to
Lyndon Johnson penned an op-edin the Washington Post charging the movie, about
Martin Luther King, Jr., with factual inaccuracies. He said it should not be considered
for awards because of its problematic portrayal of LBJ.
Director Ava DuVernay replied that she was baffled by the controversy. Literally
people cheer in the theater for LBJ at the end of it, she told Jon Stewart on The Daily
Show. Many columnists supported DuVernay, pointing out that she had artistic license,
Johnson looked good in the film and, ultimately, Martin Luther King, Jr. was the focus of
the film not LBJ.
But Selmas problems were far from over. Even though many predicted DuVernay
would make history by being the first black female director nominated for an Oscar,
both she and star David Oyelowo were snubbed. Academy voters and pundits have
argued over whether Selma was looked over because of race.
As the Oscars approach, that debate rages on. The Hollywood Reporter recently
published a ballot from an anonymous Academy voter that includes a diatribe on the
snub. When a movie about black people is good, members vote for it. But if the
movie isnt that good, am I supposed to vote for it just because it has black people in
it? she wrote. Ive got to tell you, having the cast show up in T-shirts saying, I cant

breathe I thought that stuff was offensive, referencing the premiere of the film,
where Selma stars protested Eric Garners death to draw parallels between the civil
rights movement and current racial tensions.
The Theory of Everything: Nominated for Best Picture, Best Actor, Best
Actress, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Original Score
Critics have pointed out that the film glosses over many of the harsh realities of
Stephen Hawkings life. Eddie Redmaynes portrayal of the man is largely
sympathetic, though some accounts suggest that he could be exhausting and selfimportant.
The biopic is based on a memoir called Travelling to Infinity: My Life With
Stephen, written by Stephens first wife, Jane. But Jane also wrote a much more
acrimonious account of their marriage eight years earlier in which she calls Stephen
Hawking a tyrant.
The film also skips over claims that Hawkings nurse and second wife, Elaine Mason,
abused him, and how Jane and Stephen became estranged during that time.
Whiplash: Nominated for Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor, Best Adapted
Screenplay
This years Oscar nominees are very white. There isnt a single non-white actor
nominated for an award. So its hard to ignore the fact that Whiplash is a film about
jazz starring two white dudes. (Interestingly, most of the non-drummer band
members in this film are real musicians and not white.)