Crash Confounds Oscar Predictions in Night of the Indies

Paul Haggis' Crash beat Ang Lee's Brokeback Mountain to the best film award at the Oscars on Sunday in a night which favoured independent titles over studio pictures, and saw the brits pick seven gongs. The race relations drama also won best original screenplay and the award for best film editing.

Brit winners pictured - Rachel Weisz & Nick Park (click the photos for exclusive in-depth netribution interviews from Stephen  Applebaum).

Despite picking up eight nominations, gay cowboy drama Brokeback Mountain won only three awards. The low-budget film picked up best adapted screenplay and best music, while Lee beat both Haggis and Steven Spielberg to best director.

There was success too for Peter Jackson's remake of King Kong, which also picked up three awards, including best visual effects and best sound mixing.

Philip Seymour Hoffman won best actor for his performance in Capote, while Reese Witherspoon won the actress award for Walk the Line.

George Clooney won the Oscar for best supporting actor for his role in Syriana and Rachel Weisz took home the best supporting actress award for The Constant Gardener.

The accolade for best animated feature film went to Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were Rabbit.

March of the Penguins won best documentary feature, while the best short film prize went to Martin McDonagh's Six Shooter.

Gavin Hood's Tsotsi was named best foreign language film and The Moon and the Son: An Imagined Conversation got the accolade for best animated short film.

In other awards, Memoirs of a Geisha won best cinematography, best art direction and best costume design.

Director and writer Robert Altman received an honorary award from the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences.