Finally, after sitting through over three hours of awkward moments, rushed acceptance speeches, and countless commercials, the moment we've all been waiting for is here: the reveal of what movie won Best Picture at the 2016 Oscars. Many had predicted that the Academy's biggest award would come down to one of two acclaimed films, The Revenant or Spotlight, and they were right. Spotlight won the Best Picture Oscar, which is actually a bit surprising, since The Revenant took home many of the preceding big awards, like Best Director and Best Actor for Leonardo DiCaprio (finally).
With eight Best Picture nominees, this is no small victory. Spotlight had to beat out other excellent films for the prize, like The Big Short, Bridge Of Spies, Brooklyn, Room, Mad Max: Fury Road, The Martian, and of course, The Revenant. And it should be noted, this was not Spotlight's only win. The film, which is based on the true story of the Boston Globe's expose of sexual abuse in the Catholic Church, took home the Best Original Screenplay Oscar earlier in the night.
When producer Michael Sugar first took the stage to accept the Best Picture Oscar, he used his time to acknowledge the important issue at the center of the film, saying, "It's time to protect the children and restore the faith." Spotlight's producers also dedicated the award to survivors of abuse, and said that this win will amplify their voices. The events of Spotlight may have taken place 15 years ago, but clearly the producers see that abuse is still an important issue that needs to be talked about so survivors can get the justice they deserve, and they're taking that very seriously.
Image: Open Road Films/Caroline Wurtzel/Bustle
