'Amour' wins Oscar for best foreign language film

[February 25, 2013]  LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Michael Haneke's brutal depiction of an aging couple, "Amour," has won the Academy Award for best foreign language film.

It's the second time an Austrian film has won the best foreign language film award, following "The Counterfeiters" in 2008.

Haneke, 70, thanked his wife, Susanne, after receiving the award.

"Thank you to my wife, she was a member of the crew," he said onstage. "You are the center of my life."

Though "Amour" was Austria's submission, it was a multinational production. The film's German-born director is Austrian, but it's in French and stars two French film legends, Emmanuelle Riva and Jean-Louis Trintignant.

They play a loving, elderly Parisian couple. When Anne, played by Riva, has a stroke, her husband Georges is left to care for her. Riva is also up for a best actress Oscar.

"Amour" won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival, and received a total of five Oscar nominations, including best picture.

The other nominees Sunday night were Norway's "Kon-Tiki," Chile's "No," Denmark's "A Royal Affair" and Canada's "War Witch."

[Associated Press]

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