Oscars 2016: The highlights
Alongside glamour and glitz, the Oscars were preceded by controversy - and produced some first-time winners. Here are the highlights from this year's Academy Awards.
#OscarsSoWhite - Rock gets straight to the point
Comedian and actor Chris Rock was back to host the awards for a second time, and started the evening off with a biting monologue that referenced the #OscarsSoWhite social media campaign protesting the nomination of an all-white group of actors for the second straight year. Rock peppered the evening with jokes and references to racial inequality and the Black Lives Matter movement.
Protest, but no major boycott
As Hollywood's biggest stars gathered on the red carpet, dozens of protesters converged a few blocks away to call for more diversity in film, waving signs that included the slogans "Hollywood Must Do Better" and "Shame on You." "This will be the last night of an all-white Oscars," said civil rights leader Al Sharpton. A Hollywood-wide boycott, however, failed to materialize.
Big year for Vikander
An Oscar for Europe as Sweden's Alicia Vikander took home the award for best supporting actress for her role as the wife of a transgender artist in "The Danish Girl." The 27-year-old actress starred in a number of critically acclaimed films in 2015, including sci-fi psychological thriller "Ex Machina," which won an award for best visual effects.
Sorry Sylvester
British stage actor Mark Rylance beat out sentimental favorite Sylvester Stallone for the best supporting actor nod, winning for his role as a Russian secret agent in Steven Spielberg's Cold War-era drama "Bridge of Spies," which was shot in Berlin. Like Vikander, it was Rylance's first Oscar.
Another triumph for Pixar
"Inside Out," a comedy set amid the emotions in a young girl's mind, won Disney subsidiary Pixar its eighth Oscar for best animated feature, beating fellow nominees "Anomalisa," "Boy and the World," "Shaun the Sheep Movie" and "When Marnie Was There." "This was born from watching our kids grow up, which is not easy," said director Pete Docter. Animated short "Bear Story" won Chile's first Oscar.
Best actress
Many actors wait years for a nomination, and are nominated many times before finally taking home an Oscar - if at all. For 26-year-old Brie Larson, star of the hostage drama "Room," things went a bit more smoothly. 2016 marked her first Oscar nomination, which she promptly bagged. She also won a BAFTA and Golden Globe for her performance in "Room."
Long-awaited win
He'd been a favorite in the run-up, and a pre-Oscar survey in Germany showed the vast majority of film-goers here were rooting for him. Leonardo DiCaprio's win for best actor in "The Revenant" earned the 41-year-old a standing ovation, and he used his acceptance speech to talk about climate change, saying, "Let us not take our planet for granted."
Long-awaited win, part 2
Veteran Italian composer Ennio Morricone, 87, landed his first competitive Oscar for Quentin Tarantino's Western "The Hateful Eight," after receiving an honorary award in 2009. He beat composer John Williams, who was at the ceremony for his 50th nomination, this time for "Star Wars: The Force Awakens," - which, despite being the third highest grossing film of all time, went home empty-handed.