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Oscars 2015: The spectacular acceptance speeches that stole the show

Civil rights, women's rights, suicide, depression and chronic illness. These were some of the powerful themes at this year's more-grit-than-glamour Academy Awards.
Oscar winners J.K. Simmons, Patricia Arquette, Julianne Moore and Eddie Redmayne

For the first time, two winners gave extraordinary speeches focused on the plague that is suicide.

The talented young screenwriter, Graham Moore, who won an Oscar for his work on The Imitation Game told the audience that he had tried, at age 16, to take his own life.

“I tried to kill myself because I felt weird and I felt different and I felt like I did not belong – and now I’m standing here,” he said.

“So I would like for this moment to be for that kid out there who feels like she’s weird or she’s different or she doesn’t fit in anywhere.

“Yes, you do. I promise you do. Stay weird, stay different, and then when it’s your turn and you are standing on this stage, please pass the same message to the next person who comes along.”

Dana Perry, whose short documentary Crisis Hotline: Veterans Press One also received an Oscar, revealed that her son, like so many of the men in her documentary, had in fact taken his own life.

She urged the audience to talk openly about suicide, as a means to prevention.

The two speeches came in the year that talented comedian Robin Williams ended his life, after a long battle with depression.

Suicide has long been a taboo subject, not only in the US but in Australia, but the Press Council, amongst other bodies, now encourages the media to speak openly about the damn black dog.

Julianne Moore picked up her long-overdue Oscar for her stellar performance in Still Alice where she plays a woman who struggles with early onset Alzheimer’s disease.

Julianne Moore with her Best Actress Oscar.

The 54-year-old actress said she was “thrilled” to be given the chance to “shine a light on Alzheimer’s disease.”

“So many people with this disease feel isolated and marginalised and one of the wonderful things about movies is that it makes us feel seen and not alone,” said Moore. “And people with Alzheimer’s dissever to be seen so we can find a cure.”

Human rights, especially those of women and minorities, were also in the spotlight.

A planned Oscars protest over lack of diversity at the awards was cancelled at the last minute, at the request of Selma director Ava DuVernay.

Selma celebrates the civil rights movement, in particular the marches led by Martin Luther King jnr.

None of the actors in film were nominated. In fact, for the first time in two decades, the 20 acting nominee slots – Best Actor, Best Actress, and so on – were filled entirely by white actors.

A number of black actors, including Eddie Murphy and Oprah, were permitted on stage to hand out awards.

The host Neil Patrick Harris quipped: “Tonight we honour Hollywood’s best and whitest.”

Common and John Legend with their Academy Awards for Best Song for film, Selma

The Oscars audience was moved to tears by a performance of the award-winning song Glory from Selma.

Singers John Legend and Common gave a stunning speech linking the civil rights struggle to the protection of human rights around the globe today.

Common reminded the audience that human rights “transcend race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, and social status.”

He saluted those young people marching in Hong Kong today, desperate not to lose their freedom of expression; and he saluted those who marched in Paris, after the Charlie Hedbo massacre.

Rights must include all human beings, he said.

The British actor, Eddie Redmayne, dedicated his Oscar for Best Actor to all sufferers of ALS, the disease that crippled but did not destroy Stephen Hawking.

There was a marvellous appearance by the iconic Julie Andrews, celebrating 50 years since her appearance in The Sound of Music.

Some of her famous songs, including How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria? were performed by Lady Gaga.

“How lucky can a girl get?” Ms Andrews said.

Patricia Arquette stood up for women’s rights, reminding the audience that women in the US still aren’t paid the same as men.

Oscar host Neil Patrick Harris and husband David Burtka.

The attention given to women on the Red Carpet was as ridiculous as ever, with presenters saying things like: ‘Can we just talk about her skin?’ and ‘It is so hard to wear red hair.’

The two Australians, David Lee and Tim Crosbie, who were nominated for sound and visual effects, respectively, both missed out, but hey, that’s showbiz.

Full list of Oscar winners 2015

Best supporting actor

JK Simmons for Whiplash

Achievement in costume design

The Grand Budapest Hotel – Milena Canonero

Achievement in makeup and hairstyling

The Grand Budapest Hotel – Frances Hannon, Mark Coulier

Best foreign-language film

Ida – Pawel Pawlikowski

Best live-action short film

The Phone Call – Mat Kirkby, James Lucas

Best documentary short subject

Crisis Hotline: Veterans Press 1 – Ellen Goosenberg Kent, Dana Perry

Achievement in sound mixing

Whiplash – Craig Mann, Ben Wilkins, Thomas Curley

Achievement in sound editing

American Sniper – Alan Robert Murray, Bub Asman

Best supporting actress

Patricia Arquette for Boyhood

Achievement in visual effects

Interstellar – Paul J Franklin, Andrew Lockley, Ian Hunter, Scott R Fisher

Best animated short film

Feast – Patrick Osborne, Kristina Reed

Best animated feature film

Big Hero 6

Best production design

The Grand Budapest Hotel: Adam Stockhausen, Anna Pinnock

Achievement in cinematography

Birdman: Emmanuel Lubezki

Achievement in film editing

Whiplash – Tom Cross

Best documentary feature

Citizenfour – Laura Poitras, Mathilde Bonnefoy, Dirk Wilutzky

Best original song

Glory from Selma – Lonnie Lynn (Common), John Stephens (John Legend)

Best original score

Alexandre Desplat – The Grand Budapest Hotel

Original screenplay

Alejandro González Iñárritu, Nicolás Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris, Armando Bo – Birdman

Adapted screenplay

Graham Moore – The Imitation Game

Best director

Alejandro González Iñárritu for Birdman

Best actor

Eddie Redmayne for The Theory of Everything

Best actress

Julianne Moore for Still Alice

Best picture

Birdman

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