×

Mon., 12:06 am: UPDATE 4: ’12 Years a Slave’ wins best picture Oscar

LOS ANGELES – The searing slavery drama “12 Years a Slave” has won the Academy Award for best picture.

Directed by British director Steve McQueen, the film is based on a true story and stars Chiwetel Ejiofor as Solomon Northup, a free man who was kidnapped into slavery in the South. It is the first film directed by a black filmmaker to win the best picture Oscar.

Other nominees Sunday were: “American Hustle,” “Captain Phillips,” “Dallas Buyers Club,” “Gravity,” “Her,” “Nebraska,” “Philomena,” and “The Wolf of Wall Street.”

Matthew McConaughey has won the Academy Award for best actor for his performance as a desperate and determined AIDS patient in “Dallas Buyers Club.”

McConaughey lost some 40 pounds for the role, which capped a remarkable recent career transformation for the 44-year-old actor, once a regular in lightweight romantic comedies. It was his first Oscar nomination; he won the Golden Globe for best actor in a drama earlier this year.

The other nominees Sunday night were: Christian Bale, “American Hustle”; Bruce Dern, “Nebraska”; Leonardo DiCaprio, “The Wolf of Wall Street;” and Chiwetel Ejiofor, “12 Years a Slave.”

The 86th Academy Awards are airing live on ABC from the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, with host Ellen DeGeneres.

The 86th Academy Awards are airing live on ABC from the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, with Ellen DeGeneres as host.

NEWSLETTER

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox

I'm interested in (please check all that apply)
Are you a paying subscriber to the newspaper? *
     

Starting at $4.85/week.

Subscribe Today