“The Artist” has been named the Best Picture of 2011 by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
The black-and-white, largely silent film, directed by Michel Hazanavicius, is set in Hollywood at the dawn of the sound era. It follows a matinee idol (Jean Dujardin) unable to adjust to talkies, and the young ingénue (Berenice Bejo) whose career flourishes as his declines.
A hit when it first screened at the Cannes Film Festival in May, the Weinstein Company release had been a frontrunner for much of awards season, and its Oscar victory took on an air of inevitability after it won at the Golden Globes, the Critics Choice Movie Awards, the Producers Guild Awards and the Directors Guild Awards. On Saturday, it won four awards at the Film Independent Spirit Awards -- Feature, Director, Actor and Cinematography -- after winning the top prize in France’s Cesar Awards Friday.
The only other silent film to win Best Picture was 1927’s “Wings,” which was named Outstanding Picture at the first Oscar ceremony.
The Complete List of Oscar Winners:
ACTOR IN A LEAD ROLE
Demin Bichir in “A Better Life”
George Clooney in “The Descendants”
WINNER: Jean Dujardin in “The Artist”
Gary Oldman in “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy”
Brad Pitt in “Moneyball”
ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Kenneth Branagh in “My Week with Marilyn
Jonah Hill in “Moneyball”
Nick Nolte in “Warrior”
WINNER: Christopher Plummer in “Beginners”
Max von Sydow in “Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close”
ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE
Glenn Close in “Albert Nobbs”
Viola Davis in “The Help”
Rooney Mara in “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo”
WINNER: Meryl Streep in “The Iron Lady”
Michelle Williams in “My Week with Marilyn”
ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Benice Bejo in “The Artist”
Jessica Chastain in “The Help”
Melissa McCarthy in “Bridesmaids”
Janet McTeer in “Albert Nobbs”
WINNER: Octavia Spencer in “The Help”
ANIMATED FEATURE FILM
“A Cat in Paris “ Alain Gagnol and Jean-Loup Felicioli”
“Chico & Rita” Fernando Trueba and Javier Mariscal
“Kung Fu Panda 2” Jennifer Yuh Nelson
“Puss in Boots” Chris Miller
WINNER: “Rango” Gore Verbinski
ART DIRECTION
“The Artist” Production Design: Laurence Bennett; Set Decoration: Robert Gould
“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2” Production Design: Stuart Craig; Set Decoration: Stephenie McMillan
WINNER: “Hugo” Production Design: Dante Ferretti; Set Decoration: Francesca Lo Schiavo
“Midnight in Paris” Production Design: Anne Seibel; Set Decoration: Hélène Dubreuil
“War Horse” Production Design: Rick Carter; Set Decoration: Lee Sandales
CINEMATOGRAPHY
“The Artist” Guillaume Schiffman
“The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” Jeff Cronenweth
WINNER: “Hugo” Robert Richardson
“The Tree of Life” Emmanuel Lubezki
“War Horse” Janusz Kaminski
COSTUME DESIGN
“Anonymous” Lisy Christl
WINNER: “The Artist” Mark Bridges
“Hugo” Sandy Powell
“Jane Eyre” Michael O’Connor
“W.E.” Arianne Phillips
DIRECTING
THE WINNER: “The Artist” Michel Hazanavicius
“The Descendants” Alexander Payne
“Hugo” Martin Scorsese
“Midnight in Paris” Woody Allen
“The Tree of Life” Terrence Malick
DOCUMENTARY (FEATURE)
“Hell and Back Again” Danfung Dennis and Mike Lerner
“If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front” Marshall Curry and Sam Cullman
“Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory” Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky
“Pina” Wim Wenders and Gian-Piero Ringel
WINNER: “Undefeated” TJ Martin, Dan Lindsay and Richard Middlemas
DOCUMENTARY (SHORT SUBJECT)
“The Barber of Birmingham: Foot Soldier of the Civil Rights Movement” Robin Fryday and Gail Dolgin
“God Is the Bigger Elvis” Rebecca Cammisa and Julie Anderson
“Incident in New Baghdad” James Spione
WINNER: “Saving Face” Daniel Junge and Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy
“The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom” Lucy Walker and Kira Carstensen
FILM EDITING
“The Artist” Anne-Sophie Bion and Michel Hazanavicius
“The Descendants” Kevin Tent
WINNER: “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” Kirk Baxter and Angus Wall
“Hugo” Thelma Schoonmaker
“Moneyball” Christopher Tellefsen
FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
“Bullhead” Belgium
“Footnote” Israel
“In Darkness” Poland
“Monsieur Lazhar” Canada
WINNER: “A Separation” Iran
MAKEUP
“Albert Nobbs” Martial Corneville, Lynn Johnston and Matthew W.
