Big surprises at the 85th Academy Awards

Late last night, the power brokers of the film industry met to recognise the best in the business at the 85th Academy awards, or to you and me, “The Oscars”.

Some surprises were in store on an unpredictable evening, with the top categories (Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Picture, Best Director, Best Supporting Actor and Best Supporting Actress) all going to different films. This just shows the calibre of the films and talent in contention.

Ben Affleck's Iran hostage thriller, Argo, won the Oscar for Best Film, following the nominees being introduced by First Lady Michelle Obama from the White House.

Daniel Day-Lewis picked up the Best Actor award for a record-breaking third time for his portrayal of the 16th President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln. He previously won in 1989 for My Left Foot and in 2008 for There Will Be Blood and has secured his place amongst the all-time acting greats.

Jennifer Lawrence, one of the youngest ever winners, picked up the Best Actress award for her role in Silver Linings Playbook. Ang Lee was named Best Director for Life Of Pi, with the ground-breaking 3D film winning the most awards of the night.

The gong for Best Supporting Actor went to Christoph Waltz for his unforgettable contribution to Django Unchained. It was the second time in three years he has won the category, following his first Oscar for his role in Tarantino’s previous release, Inglourious Basterds.

Anne Hathaway nabbed the Best Supporting Actress award for her emotionally charged and tear jerking role in the musical behemoth that is Les Misérables.

Special mention also to Adele for taking the award for Best Original Song for Skyfall, the first Bond theme to win an Academy award which was fitting in the 50th year of the franchise.

A great night for film, and another great night for British talent.

A full list of winners follows below, along with a great infographic on interesting Oscar facts and stats from previous years.

Jason Merritt / Getty Images

Best Picture: Argo

Actor: Daniel Day-Lewis, Lincoln

Actress: Jennifer Lawrence, Silver Linings Playbook

Supporting Actor: Christoph Waltz, Django Unchained

Supporting Actress: Anne Hathaway, Les Misérables

Directing: Ang Lee, Life of Pi

Foreign Language Film: Amour

Adapted Screenplay: Chris Terrio, Argo

Original Screenplay: Quentin Tarantino, Django Unchained

Animated Feature Film: Brave

Production Design: Lincoln

Cinematography: Life of Pi

Sound Mixing: Les Misérables

Sound Editing (tie): Skyfall, Zero Dark Thirty

Original Score: Life of Pi, Mychael Danna.

Original Song: "Skyfall" from Skyfall, Adele Adkins and Paul Epworth.

Costume: Anna Karenina.

Documentary Feature: Searching for Sugar Man.

Documentary (short subject): Inocente

Film Editing: Argo

Makeup and Hairstyling: Les Misérables

Animated Short Film: Paperman

Live Action Short Film: Curfew

Visual Effects: Life of Pi

Originally hosted on Ragans PR Daily, courtesy of Confused.com.