OSCAR AWARD SEASON 2014 '12 Years a Slave' named best picture

(CNN) -- The searing drama "12 Years a Slave" was named best picture at the 86th Academy Awards on Sunday night.

The story of Solomon Northup, a free African-American man who was kidnapped and sold into slavery, won just three awards, but they were all major: best picture, best supporting actress (Lupita Nyong'o) and best adapted screenplay (John Ridley).

Brad Pitt, one of the film's producers, accepted on behalf of the film before deferring to its director, a noticeably excited -- and tongue-tied -- Steve McQueen.

"Everyone deserves not just to survive, but to live. This is the most important legacy of Solomon Northup," McQueen said.

He added, "This is for all the people who have endured slavery, and the 21 million people who still endure slavery today."

 

Best picture: "12 Years a Slave" Nyong'o, a newcomer, paid tribute to her character, Patsey, a slave in 1840s Louisiana. Her voice cracked as she spoke."It doesn't escape me for one moment that so much joy in my life is because of so much pain in someone else's," she said.

 

Best adapted screenplay: John Ridley, "12 Years a Slave" 

 

                 Best director: Alfonso Cuaron, "Gravity" 

     Best actor: Matthew McConaughey, "Dallas Buyers Club" 

The force of 'Gravity'

"Gravity" topped all films with seven Oscars, including an award for director Alfonso Cuaron.

The Mexican director devoted four years of his life to making the technically challenging film about a space mission gone wrong. He's the first Latin American to win the award.

"Gravity's" other Oscars are for original score, visual effects, sound mixing and sound editing, cinematography and film editing.

 

          Best actress: Cate Blanchett, "Blue Jasmine" Best supporting actor: Jared Leto, "Dallas Buyers Club" Best original screenplay: Spike Jonze, "Her" Best animated feature: "Frozen" "Dallas Buyers Club" won three awards, including two in acting categories: best actor for Matthew McConaughey and Jared Leto for best supporting actor. The film also won for makeup and hairstyling.

As expected, Cate Blanchett won best actress for her turn as a modern-day Blanche DuBois in the Woody Allen film "Blue Jasmine."

Blanchett praised films with female protagonists. Female-centric movies are "not niche -- they make money!" she exclaimed to an ovation.

 

Best documentary feature: "20 Feet from Stardom"  
WEIRD: Donald Duck co-hosted the show with Bob Hope, Jack Lemmon, Rosalind Russell and James Stewart.  "Let It Go," from the animated film "Frozen," won best song. Robert Lopez, one of its songwriters, became an EGOT with his Oscar win: He now has an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony. "Frozen" also for won best animated feature.

One of the evening's highlights was Darlene Love, one of the singers featured in documentary winner "20 Feet From Stardom." Love launched into an impromptu version of "His Eye Is on the Sparrow" upon the film's win, and her full-throated take brought down the house.