Alfonso Cuarón took home Best Director at the 86th annual Academy Awards on Sunday. He won for his work on "Gravity," the space epic that's collected more than $700 million in worldwide ticket sales.
Cuarón topped Steve McQueen ("12 Years a Slave"), Alexander Payne ("Nebraska"), David O. Russell ("American Hustle") and Martin Scorsese ("The Wolf of Wall Street") for the award. Prior to this year, the director had three Oscar nominations to his name: two for 2006's "Children of Men" (Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Film Editing) and another for 2001's "Y tu Mamá También" (Best Original Screenplay). "Gravity" turned him into a six-time nominee: in addition to Best Director, Cuaron was also nominated at this year's ceremony as a co-producer of "Gravity" (which received a Best Picture nod) and a co-editor.
Cuarón was heavily favored to win Best Director thanks in part to the innovative technology used to film "Gravity," which was made for $100 million. He also nabbed top honors from the Directors Guild of America, which is considered a reliable prognosticator for the Best Director Oscar, Golden Globes and BAFTA Awards.
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