THE “OSCAR” BACKS IN ITALY AFTER FIFTEEN YEARS. PAOLO SORRENTINO WON IN HOLLYWOOD WITH “THE GREAT BEAUTY”

The Italian drama “The Great Beauty” won the Oscar for best foreign language film, capping its successful awards season run in the United States and Europe.

Director Paolo Sorrentino’s film about an aging writer’s reflections on life and his search for meaning among Rome’s idle rich also won top foreign film honors at the Golden Globes and Britain’s BAFTAs.

It was the first Oscar for Sorrentino and the 11th win for an Italian film since foreign language film became a competitive category in 1956, the most of any country. Italian films earned three additional Academy Awards before that time.

In his acceptance speech, Naples-born Sorrentino gave a nod to Italian director Federico Fellini, former Argentine soccer player Diego Maradona – who once played for Naples soccer club – his wife and the central focus of his film, Rome.

“The Great Beauty” (La Grande Bellezza) – which follows 65-year-old writer Jep Gambardella, played by Toni Servillo, through all-night parties and high-class affairs – has reminded critics of Fellini’s “La Dolce Vita” in its portrayal of the Italian capital’s hedonistic haut monde.

The winners are:

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE:  Jared Leto in “Dallas Buyers Club” (Focus Features)

ACHIEVEMENT IN COSTUME DESIGN: “The Great Gatsby” (Warner Bros.) Catherine Martin

ACHIEVEMENT IN MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING: “Dallas Buyers Club” (Focus Features) Adruitha Lee and Robin Mathews

BEST ANIMATED SHORT FILM: “Mr. Hublot”

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE FILM OF THE YEAR: “Frozen” (Walt Disney) Chris Buck, Jennifer Lee and Peter Del Vecho

ACHIEVEMENT IN VISUAL EFFECTS: “Gravity” (Warner Bros.) Tim Webber, Chris Lawrence, Dave Shirk and Neil Corbould

BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT FILM: “Helium” (An M & M Production) by Anders Walter and Kim Magnusson

BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT SUBJECT: “The Lady In Number 6: Music Saved My Life” (A Reed ntertainment Production) by Malcolm Clarke and Nicholas Reed

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE: “20 Feet From Stardom” (RADiUS-TWC) A Gil Friesen Productions and Tremolo Production Morgan Neville, Gil Friesen and Caitrin Rogers

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM OF THE YEAR: “The Great Beauty” (Janus Films) – Italy An Indigo Film Production

ACHIEVEMENT IN SOUND MIXING: “Gravity” (Warner Bros.) Skip Lievsay, Niv Adiri, Christopher Benstead and Chris Munro

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE: Lupita Nyong’o in “12 Years A Slave” (Fox Searchlight)

ACHIEVEMENT IN CINEMATOGRAPHY: “Gravity” (Warner Bros.) Emmanuel Lubezki

ACHIEVEMENT IN FILM EDITING: “Gravity” (Warner Bros.) Alfonso Cuarón and Mark Sanger

ACHIEVEMENT IN PRODUCTION DESIGN:“The Great Gatsby” (Warner Bros.) Production Design: Catherine Martin; Costume Design: Beverley Dunn

ACHIEVEMENT IN MUSIC WRITTEN FOR MOTION PICTURES (ORIGINAL SCORE): “Gravity” (Warner Bros.) Steven Price

ACHIEVEMENT IN MUSIC WRITTEN FOR MOTION PICTURES (ORIGINAL SONG): “Let It Go” from “Frozen” (Walt Disney) – Music and Lyric by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY: “12 Years A Slave” (Fox Searchlight) Screenplay by John Ridley

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY: “Her” (Warner Bros.) Written by Spike Jonze

ACHIEVEMENT IN DIRECTING: “Gravity” (Warner Bros.) Alfonso Cuarón

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE: Cate Blanchett in “Blue Jasmine” (Sony Pictures Classics)

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE: Matthew McConaughey in “Dallas Buyers Club” (Focus Features)

BEST MOTION PICTURE OF THE YEAR: “12 Years a Slave” (Fox Searchlight)

A River Road, Plan B, New Regency Production

Brad Pitt, Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, Steve McQueen and Anthony Katagas, Producers