In what many observers might have called inevitable, the Academy has awarded Alejandro Iñárritu with the Oscar for Best Director for The Revenant. The win makes Iñárritu only the third director to take home back-to-back Best Director trophies.

"I'm very lucky to be here tonight, but many others haven't had the same luck," said the director, addressing the #OscarsSoWhite controversy. Iñárritu faced stiff competition from the likes of Tom McCarthy for Spotlight, Lenny Abrahamson for Room, George Miller for Mad Max: Fury Road, and Adam McKay for The Big Short. The revenge epic was nevertheless the stronger movie in the eyes of the Academy. The director took home the Best Director Oscar for Birdman last year.