The movie ``Argo'' wins this year's Oscar for best picture.

First lady Michelle Obama, from the White House, joined Jack Nicholson to help present the prize to Ben Affleck's Iran rescue
thriller that won three trophies in all.

``Life of Pi'' won four Oscars last night, including best director, for Ang Lee.  The film based on the novel by Saskatoon's Yann Martel also earned Toronto composer Mychael Danna an Oscar for best original score.

Vancouver's Guillaume Rocheron, who also worked on ``Life of PI,'' shared the Oscar with three others for best visual effects.

Best-acting awards went to Daniel Day-Lewis for ``Lincoln'' and Jennifer Lawrence for ``Silver Linings Playbook,'' and Anne Hathaway and Christoph Waltz for supporting roles.

While accepting 'Argo''s award for Best Picture, Affleck thanked Canada in his acceptance speech.

He was critisized for understating the country's role in the mostly-true story his film tells.

Set in the early 80's, 6 American diplomats make a daring escape from Iran after extremists take control of the US embassy.

Staff at the Canadian embassy put their lives on the line to hide them away until a plan could be hatched to get them out.

Former Canadian ambassador to Iran, Ken Taylor, says he was satisfied to hear Ben Affleck's gratitude.

Taylor had earlier said that Affleck should certainly mention Canada's role in the 1979 rescue of U-S embassy staffers in Iran if the thriller he directed and starred in won best picture.

Taylor has bluntly criticized ``Argo'' for minimizing Canada's role in getting the Americans safely out of Iran.

``Argo'' screenwriter Chris Terrio, who won the best adapted screenplay prize, based his script on the memoirs of Tony Mendez, the heroic CIA agent portrayed by Affleck.  Taylor's criticisms of ``Argo'' are supported by former US president Jimmy Carter, who has called the movie a complete distortion.

Last week Carter told CNN that while 90 per cent of the real rescue plan was Canadian made -- ``Argo'' gives almost all the
credit to the CIA.

85th Academy Award Winners

Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role: Christoph Waltz, Django Unchained

Best Animated Short Film: Paperman

Best Animated Feature Film: Brave

Achievement in Cinematography: Life of Pi, Claudio Miranda

Achievement in Visual Effects: Life of Pi

Achievement in Costume Design: Anna Karenina, Jacqueline Durran

Achievement in Makeup & Hairstyling: Les Misérables

Best Live-Action Short Film: Curfew

Best Documentary Short Subject: Inocente

Best Documentary Feature: Searching for a Sugar Man

Best Foreign-Language Film: Amour (Austria)

Achievement in Sound Mixing: Les Misérables

Achievement in Sound Editing: Zero Dark Thirty & Skyfall

Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role: Anne Hathaway, Les Miserables

Achievement in Film Editing: Argo

Achievement in Production Direction: Lincoln

Original Score: Life of Pi, Mychael Danna

Original Song: "Skyfall," Adele Adkins & Paul Epworth; Skyfall

Adapted Screenplay: Argo, Chris Terrio

Original Screenplay: Django Unchained, Quentin Tarantino

Achievement in Directing: Ang Lee, Life of Pi

Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role: Daniel Day-Lewis, Lincoln

Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role: Jennifer Lawrence, Silver Linings Playbook

Best Motion Picture: Argo

(with files from NEWSTALK 1010, The Associated Press and The Canadian Press)