Taipei, Feb. 25 (CNA) Taiwanese director Ang Lee's 3-D adventure film "Life of Pi" became one of the biggest winners of this year's Academy Awards Sunday (Los Angeles time) by snagging four Oscars, including best director.
"Life of Pi," which explores faith through tales of a shipwrecked boy adrift on a lifeboat with a Bengal tiger, also snapped up the golden statuettes for best original score, best cinematography and best visual effects.
It is the second time Lee has won an Oscar for best director. His first was in 2006 with the cowboy love story "Brokeback Mountain," which made him the first Asian ever to win the award.
In his best director award acceptance speech, Lee thanked his 3,000-member cast and crew, as well as Canadian novelist Yann Martel, who wrote the 2002 Man Booker Prize-winning novel "Life of Pi" from which the film is adapted.
"I really want to thank you for believing in this story and sharing this incredible journey with me," Lee said. "I need to thank Yann Martel for writing this incredibly inspiring book."
Lee, who beat strong contender Steven Spielberg with "Lincoln" to bag the best director award, also thanked his home country for making the film possible.
"I cannot make this movie without the help of Taiwan. We shot there," he said.
The shipwreck epic was nominated for 11 categories at the Oscars, second only to 12-nominated "Lincoln," which won for best actor, Daniel Day-Lewis, and best production design.
The biggest prize of the night -- Best Picture -- went to Ben Affleck's Iranian hostage crisis film "Argo," which also took best film editing and adapted screenplay.
"Life of Pi" won against "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey," "Marvel's The Avengers," "Prometheus" and "Snow White and the Huntsman" in the visual effects category, while it beat "Lincoln," "Skyfall," "Anna Karenina" and "Django Unchained" in best cinematography.
"Life of Pi" film composer Mychael Danna, meanwhile, took the trophy in best original score for "Pi," against "Argo," "Lincoln," "Skyfall" and "Anna Karenina."
"I share this wondrous award with our visionary captain, Mr. Ang Lee ... who guided a truly global cast and crew in the telling of this wondrous, beautiful story that transcends culture and race and religion," Danna said in his acceptance speech.
"Life of Pi" was also nominated for best picture, best film editing, original song, production design, sound editing, sound mixing and adapted screenplay.
Lee, 58, has repeatedly credited his native Taiwan for making it possible for him to complete the film. The film had garnered US$583.37 million at the box office worldwide as of Feb. 24, making it the best- selling film among the nine nominees for best picture, according to the website Box Office Mojo.
In order to film most of the ocean scenes, Lee built a wave tank on the site of a former airport in Taichung, which the local government turned over to him. It took Lee four-and-a-half years to complete the film.
The New York-based director has said he found everything he needed in Taiwan, from beaches that look like they're in Mexico, to a French swimming pool, to props and zoo animals used in the opening scenes.
Lee, born in 1954 in Pingtung, southern Taiwan, earned global recognition with his 2000 martial arts film "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon," which won 10 Oscar nominations.
He is known for the recurring theme of repression in his films, as well as his ability to achieve a blend of artistic and commercial success.
Meanwhile, the Academy Award best actress went to Jennifer Lawrence for her performance in "Silver Linings Playbook." Christoph Waltz won best supporting actor with "Django Unchained," while Anne Hathaway won best supporting actress with "Les Miserables."
(By Christie Chen)
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