AWARDS
2016 Academy Awards Winners - 'Spotlight' Tops + 'Leo' Gets His Gold
by Alex Billington
February 28, 2016
The 88th Academy Awards are upon us and it's time to watch the show and discover the winners of the most prestigious award in Hollywood. The Oscar ceremony is being broadcast live from the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood with the esteemed Chris Rock as our host of the show this year. With eight worthy Best Picture nominees, it should be exciting to find out which one is the big winner. It has been a very interesting year - no one knows for sure what will win, it could be anyone. Will Mad Max reign supreme or will Iñárritu top again? It's finally time to find out who is taking home an Oscar, and who isn't, at the Academy Awards. The full list below will be updated with winners marked once announced live tonight - refresh for updates.
Spotlight directed
by Tom McCarthy
Alejandro G. Iñárritu
for The Revenant
Leonardo DiCaprio
for The Revenant
Brie Larson
for Room
Read on for a complete list of #Oscars2016 nominees & winners. Let us know what you think of the results!
This will be updated throughout the night to reflect the winners as revealed. Additionally, I might be adding a small bit of editorial commentary beneath each category. Winners are highlighted in BOLD below.
PICTURE:
The Big Short
Bridge of Spies
Brooklyn
Mad Max: Fury Road
The Martian
The Revenant
Room
Spotlight
Thoughts: Wow. I was expecting this to win, but still surprised! Congrats, it's a worthy win this year.
DIRECTOR:
George Miller - Mad Max: Fury Road
Alejandro G. Iñárritu - The Revenant
Adam McKay - The Big Short
Tom McCarthy - Spotlight
Lenny Abrahamson - Room
Thoughts: I would've preferred seeing George Miller winning, but I'm fine with Iñárritu taking this one. He's an outstanding director - and is now one of the only ones to win two years in a row.
ACTOR:
Bryan Cranston - Trumbo
Matt Damon - The Martian
Leonardo DiCaprio - The Revenant
Michael Fassbender - Steve Jobs
Eddie Redmayne - The Danish Girl
Thoughts: Huzzah! Hooray! Finally, Leo gets his Oscar and you know what, it's a good win.
ACTRESS:
Brie Larson - Room
Cate Blanchett - Carol
Jennifer Lawrence - Joy
Saoirse Ronan - Brooklyn
Charlotte Rampling - 45 Years
SUPPORTING ACTOR:
Christian Bale - The Big Short
Mark Rylance - Bridge of Spies
Tom Hardy - The Revenant
Mark Ruffalo - Spotlight
Sylvester Stallone - Creed
Thoughts: Wow, big upset for Stallone! But a big win for Spielberg and Rylance. He is outstanding in this.
SUPPORTING ACTRESS:
Jennifer Jason Leigh - The Hateful Eight
Rooney Mara - Carol
Rachel McAdams - Spotlight
Alicia Vikander - The Danish Girl
Kate Winslet - Steve Jobs
ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY:
Bridge of Spies - Matt Charman, Ethan Coen, Joel Coen
Ex Machina - Alex Garland
Inside Out - Pete Docter & Meg LeFauve & Josh Cooley
Spotlight - Josh Singer & Tom McCarthy
Straight Outta Compton - Jonathan Herman & Andrea Berloff
ADAPTED SCREENPLAY:
Brooklyn - Nick Hornby
The Big Short - Charles Randolph, Adam McKay
Carol - Phyllis Nagy
The Martian - Drew Goddard
Room - Emma Donoghue
ANIMATED FEATURE:
Anomalisa
Boy & The World
Inside Out
Shaun The Sheep Movie
When Marnie Was There
Thoughts: Another stellar win for Pixar! Love this movie, I am happy to see it win.
FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM:
Embrace of the Serpent (Colombia)
Mustang (France)
Son of Saul (Hungary)
Theeb (Jordan)
A War (Denmark)
Thoughts: Congrats! One of my favorite films of last year, expected it to win.
CINEMATOGRAPHY:
Carol - Ed Lachman
The Hateful Eight - Robert Richardson
Mad Max: Fury Road - John Seale
The Revenant - Emmanuel Lubezki
Sicario - Roger Deakins
Thoughts: Hell yes! I predicted this one, totally. He really deserved it, such beautiful cinematography.
DOCUMENTARY FEATURE:
Amy
Cartel Land
The Look of Silence
What Happened, Miss Simone?
Winter on Fire: Ukraine's Fight for Freedom
Thoughts: Ugh. Not my pick. I would've preferred Cartel Land or The Look of Silence over this one.
DOCUMENTARY SHORT:
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
ANIMATED SHORT:
Bear Story
Prologue
Sanjay's Super Team
We Can't Live without Cosmos
World of Tomorrow
Thoughts: This should've gone to World of Tomorrow.
LIVE-ACTION SHORT:
Ave Maria
Day One
Shok
Stutterer
Everything Will Be Okay (Alles Wird Gut)
VISUAL EFFECTS:
Ex Machina
Mad Max: Fury Road
The Martian
The Revenant
Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Thoughts: Kind of amazing to think that Ex Machina is now an Oscar winner! For VX, too. Rock on.
PRODUCTION DESIGN:
Bridge of Spies
The Danish Girl
Mad Max: Fury Road
The Martian
The Revenant
COSTUME DESIGN:
Carol
Cinderella
The Danish Girl
Mad Max: Fury Road
The Revenant
Thoughts: Awesome!! "What another lovely day," Jenny Beavan says when she gets to the mic. Perfect.
MAKE-UP & HAIR:
Mad Max: Fury Road
The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared
The Revenant
Thoughts: More! Yes!! I love Mad Max, happy to see it winning so many technical awards. Deserves them.
FILM EDITING:
The Big Short
Mad Max: Fury Road
The Revenant
Spotlight
Star Wars: The Force Awakens
SOUND MIXING:
Bridge of Spies
Mad Max: Fury Road
The Martian
The Revenant
Star Wars: The Force Awakens
SOUND EDITING:
Mad Max: Fury Road
Sicario
The Martian
The Revenant
Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Thoughts: Hooray! Even more for Mad Max, who would've thought? It is a great movie, so let's keep them coming.
ORIGINAL SCORE:
Bridge of Spies - Thomas Newman
Carol - Carter Burwell
The Hateful Eight - Ennio Morricone
Sicario - Jóhann Jóhannsson
Star Wars: The Force Awakens - John Williams
Thoughts: Congrats to Morricone!! He's a legend and it's great to see him finally win one.
ORIGINAL SONG:
"Earned It" from Fifty Shades of Grey
"Manta Ray" from Racing Extinction
"Til It Happens To You" from The Hunting Ground
"Simple Song #3" from Youth
"Writing's On The Wall" from Spectre
Final Thoughts: Aside from the Sam Smith song winning, which is just an awful song and not at all what should've won, I'm generally satisfied with the winners overall. Mad Max: Fury Road ended up with six Academy Awards in total; Brie Larson won, Leonardo DiCaprio won; even Mark Rylance was recognized from Spielberg's Bridge of Spies, and Pixar's wonderful Inside Out won Best Animated, rightfully so. One of my favorites, Son of Saul, won Best Foreign Film, and Ex Machina won with a surprise victory in Best Visual Effects, which is very exciting. I'll even defend Spotlight, I think it's a great film, and I had a feeling it might win despite the buzz for The Revenant - which instead went to Iñárritu winning Best Director. I do wish something else would've won for Documentary, but that's always a wacky category. Overall a good night.
[For last year's list of Academy Awards winners, including Birdman and Alejandro G. Iñárritu, click here.]
Chime in below after reviewing the list of 2016 Oscars winners updated throughout the night and let us know if you're satisfied with this year's results, and what your thoughts are on the actual Oscar ceremony hosted by Chris Rock. It's always exciting to watch the live show. Plus, of course, a big congratulations to all of this year's winners and all of the nominees, too! Thoughts on the 88th Academy Awards so far?
44 Comments
1
Damn, Mad Max out here dominatin like the Golden State Warriors!
Brandon on Feb 28, 2016
2
REALLY disappointed in the Academy's fascination with Mad Max!
MGBCOLO on Feb 28, 2016
3
Me too. Good enough film but I don't get everyone's hard on for it.
Jon Odishaw on Feb 28, 2016
5
Damn it, I was really rooting for Stallone to win.
Brandon on Feb 28, 2016
6
Yes! Yes! Spotlight best movie!!!
MGBCOLO on Feb 28, 2016
7
I figured Mad Max for all technical awards, its deserved. Good for DiCaprio.
Xerxexx on Feb 28, 2016
8
Finally, Leo.
Azwar on Feb 28, 2016
9
I got 19/24 correct, missing on the following Actor in a Supporting Role Documentary (Short Film) Music (Original Song) Short Film (Animated) Visual Effects
gjbender1 on Feb 28, 2016
10
I got 15/20 correct (didn't know enough about four categories to make predictions). I missed out on Supporting Actor, Leading Actress, Visual Effects and Director (I was rooting for Tom McCarthy).
Vijay Anand on Feb 29, 2016
11
Well done Matt Damon, your acting in The Revenant was well worth the award. Finally.
Carpola on Feb 29, 2016
13
Haha!
Vijay Anand on Feb 29, 2016
16
Mad max. Meh. Sound editing. Sicario got robbed. It had IMO the best audio of any movie from last year. Loved the score too. Quiet yet brutal, full yet minimalist. I get it tho. I'm a long time fan of Ennio so he sure deserves it but the H8 score wasn't Oscar material. Reused motives and such. IMO. And holy shit, the worst Bond song wins an Oscar. I guess they heard another version? Lastly I thought Sly should have gotten the Oscar because you know, he lost in 76 I think for Rocky? Crazy.
Sascha Dikiciyan on Feb 29, 2016
17
I agree, it was a real shame about Sly. Some could argue that he shouldn't have won it for being ignored on previous occasions but isn't that the real reason that Leo won this year when previous performances have been more deserving of an Oscar?
Payne by name on Feb 29, 2016
18
Bo you need to calm down with the hate. Go hate on Trump cause he's about to make everyone his bitch. Your assessment of Rocky and hate for Stallone is misplaced IMO. Rocky was genius not only because it was a mirror of his life at the time but a true underdog movie that felt real. No flashy effects just a good decent story with great characters. I dont know how old you are but maybe you are too young to appreciate it? Stallone has done some shitty movies but the man has worked hard and has also some solid performances. Aside from the original Rocky and Rambo, Cop Land was very good and proved that he could indeed act very well. So while he maybe not a caliber of Marlon Brando, given him an award finally is recognizing that sly is part of hollywood movie history whether you like it or not.
Sascha Dikiciyan on Feb 29, 2016
21
Props to the James Bond crew for winning two Best Song awards. Although... Adele's song made Sam Smith's sound like a toddler banged it out on an electric xylophone.
DAVIDPD on Feb 29, 2016
22
I wanted Tom Hardy to win,but Mark Rylance deserved it,so i guess its okay
Paul3000 on Feb 29, 2016
23
Happy for Spotlight and Ennio. Didn't care or see the big deal for Leo overrated Di Caprio's win. Sooooooo important SPOTLIGHT won. And Chris Rock sold out for laughs.
Have Hope on Feb 29, 2016
24
Now that Leo won an Oscar, what are we gonna do with all those memes??
TheOct8pus on Feb 29, 2016
25
This shows how irrelevant the force awakens was at the end of the day. Just an average flick but with star wars imagery. Nothing compelling (except the characters and acting that were great).
Lautaro on Feb 29, 2016
26
I don't know if that's a fair assessment. Sicario and Ex Machina were both really great and really relevant movies from this year that both got relatively little attention as the Oscars (except the visual effects award for Ex Machina). A lot of people have varying opinions of TFA but i dont think its fair to judge it by a modest performance at the Oscars.
jay on Feb 29, 2016
27
Maybe I was unfair, but I haven't seen anyone excited about TFA wining anything either. I guess losing every possible category says something. That's what i'm talking about. BTW. I've liked TFA, somehow.
Lautaro on Feb 29, 2016
28
I was actually really surprised it didn't take VFX, sound editing, or sound mixing. I didn't think it would take all three but I was pretty bummed it didn't take ANY of them. Regardless of story, its a Star Wars movie, so the sound and VFX are some of the best in the game.
jay on Feb 29, 2016
29
It surprises me either, because as you say, in those departments being a Star Wars movie is one of the best in the game. Having say that, Are you happy with TFA's performance? I still feel kind of disappointing, because obviously all those films were better. It could have been Star Wars, but no, didn't cut it through.
Lautaro on Feb 29, 2016
30
I mean shit, like 90% of movies must be irrelevant then because most don't even get a nomination. Stupid anti Star Wars comment is stupid.
Higgens on Feb 29, 2016
31
Ah Higgens dont get your SW panties in a bunch. All of the movies listed or the ones won were a mile better than TFA. Any negative comment is just as valid as a positive comment. In the end just opinions. Yours isn't a fact. Just like mine. And mine is that TFA was utter and complete garbage. 🙂
Sascha Dikiciyan on Feb 29, 2016
32
Opinions are fine, but a statement like " I guess this show how irrelevant TFA is" Based SOLELY on it not winning any Oscars, I mean come on. Its down right stupid. Its obvious social relevance ALONE proves the stupidity of such a claim. Love the movie or hate it, I really could care not care less. But spouting such silliness, no, I need to comment.
Higgens on Feb 29, 2016
33
You fail to understand that they failed at every possible Oscar nomination, and that's a fact. I'm no saying that films that are not nominated are irrelevant films (because It's usually the opposite). You're jumping up to conclusions here.
Lautaro on Feb 29, 2016
34
So then, in you world, being nominated and losing is worse than not being nominated at all?
Higgens on Feb 29, 2016
35
Of course not, but are you saying that TFA performed well?
Lautaro on Mar 1, 2016
36
At the Oscars? No, does that mean the movie is irrelevant? Also no.
Higgens on Mar 1, 2016
37
True, the Oscars mean nothing other than show business as usual. Regardless, I feel TFA didn't deliver or have that edge, and exactly this was reflected at the oscars. The sad thing is that i'm not surprised (having watching the film 3 times) haha.
Lautaro on Mar 2, 2016
38
Pretty surprised at Spotlight taking best picture to be honest. It was a great movie, don't get me wrong, but nothing in it really blew me away. Performances solid, screenplay solid, technically solid, but so were all the other nominees, and while the subject matter was definitely poignant, I didn't leave spotlight feeling absolutely amazed or anything. It wasnt a bad movie by any means though, so Im not that upset about it, I just really thought there were other nominees that brought a little more to the table as a whole. Also, does anyone have any idea why Spotlight was up for Achievement in Editing?? I mean, yeah, it was well-edited in general, but every movie up for an Oscar is well edited. Was it really an "achievement" in editing? It was just a linear narrative with a pretty straightforward and uncomplicated plot. Not that best editing has to be as flashy as The Big Short but I just really didn't know why Spotlight was even up for editing.
jay on Feb 29, 2016
39
I thought spotlight was the best movie of the year. I'm curious.....what movie did you think was the best of the year? and it doesn't have to be one from the awards list - these awards don't mean much to me.
dan on Feb 29, 2016
40
I was also surprised Spotlight won Best Picture. I liked it but I would've picked The Revenant, Mad Max or even The Big Short over Spotlight. And the Editing category is weird. I wondered why The Revenant was up for editing. A movie with so many long takes requires minimal editing. Seems like a 'hard to define' category.
Jonathan on Feb 29, 2016
41
Really happy to see the Revenant take some of the big awards, that movie is a masterpiece. Mad Max taking so many tech awards is also great.
Higgens on Feb 29, 2016
42
Sorely disappointed in the Academy's continuing ignorance of the breadth in the field of animation. They had the opportunity to award a great movie like Anomalisa, that isn't part of your typical image of animation, but no. Yet another win for Pixar; big surprise. The Academy only acknowledges animated movies that fit their idea of what animation should be about (kid flicks). This is only confirmed with them snubbing Hertzfeldt's The World of Tomorrow in the Animated Short category as well. An intelligent sci-fi story in animated form? No, animation is there to show cuddly anthropomorphized bears.
Terry Craig on Feb 29, 2016
43
I agree to some extent. It is really frustrating, the animation category really had some great flicks this year. I thought Inside Out was fine and had an important message, but I also thought it had some real screenplay issues. I agree, there were at least 2 movies nominated that probably should have won, and even more that didn't even get the nom. Disappointing.
jay on Mar 1, 2016
44
Respect level for both Inarritu and McCarthy went downhill after seeing the way they sneered at Jenny Beavan. Come on man. The lady can wear whatever she wants. Looked like Donald Trump working border patrol.
TK on Feb 29, 2016
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