Affleck's Argo wins Best Picture at Academy AwardsFebruary 25, 2013 - 09:19 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Argo, Ben Affleck's fact-based thriller about the Iranian hostage crisis, rode to victory at the 85th Academy Awards, taking the crowning best picture Oscar to complete a night of triumph. The film was the bookies' favorite going into the event, having already been named best film at the Baftas and best drama at the Golden Globes, The Guardian reports. Played out against the backdrop of the 1979 hostage crisis, Argo spins the account of a joint Hollywood-CIA mission to spring six imperiled Americans from revolutionary Iran, using a fake movie production as a decoy. The film stars director Affleck as a CIA agent, while the supporting cast includes John Goodman, Bryan Cranston and Alan Arkin. It is Affleck's third stint in the director's chair – after Gone Baby Gone and the Boston crime drama The Town – and by far his most successful. Argo was first touted as a possible Oscar contender when it premiered at last autumn'sToronto film festival, although it initially struggled to outpace its closest rival, Steven Spielberg's historical saga Lincoln. Its final Oscar victory, however, sets it firmly on a pedestal all of its own. Top stories The creative crew of the Public TV had chosen 13-year-old Malena as a participant of this year's contest. She called on others to also suspend their accounts over the companies’ failure to tackle hate speech. Penderecki was known for his film scores, including for William Friedkin’s “The Exorcist”, Stanley Kubrick’s “The Shining”. The festival made the news public on March 19, saying that “several options are considered in order to preserve its running” Partner news | Titus, Bilirakis lead legislation to sanction Azerbaijani war criminals Representatives Dina Titus (D-NV) and Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) have introduced the bipartisan legislation. Azerbaijan must respect human rights, Scholz tells Aliyev German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has called for greater respect for human rights in Azerbaijan. Armenia: Defense Ministry warns against involving army in political processes The Ministry’s statement came after a video surfaced online, showing soldiers joining the protests in Tavush. Scholz hopes Armenia-Azerbaijan peace treaty will be signed this year German Chancellor Olaf Scholz hopes that a peace treaty between Armenia and Azerbaijan will be signed this year. |