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It was the first Academy Award for Cuaron, 52, and the first
best director Oscar for a Mexican. His 3-D film starring Sandra
Bullock and George Clooney mixes dazzling special effects,
suspense and human drama.
Accepting the Oscar, Cuaron paid special tribute to Bullock:
"Sandy, you are 'Gravity,' you are the soul and heart of the
film. You are an amazing collaborator and one of the best people
I have ever met."
Shortly after Cuaron's victory, Mexican President Enrique Pena
Nieto tweeted: "Extraordinary work. Congratulations!"
Speaking backstage after he collected the Oscar, Cuaron said he
hoped his win would help shine a light on the work of other
Mexican film makers, and Mexican culture.
"I don't think there is enough attention paid to Mexican culture
and what is happening in Mexico," Cuaron said.
Cuaron had been hotly tipped to win the best director category,
having swept the prize in other awards ceremonies before
Sunday's Oscars, including from the Directors Guild of America.
Cuaron, who as a child wanted to be an astronaut, spent three
years with a team developing the film's special effects and
on-screen space panoramas, which many critics said broke new
ground in the use of 3-D cinematic technology.
Referring to the "transformative" experience he and others
undertook in the four-plus years spent making "Gravity," Cuaron,
whose hair is graying, said, "For a lot of these people, that
transformation was wisdom. For me, it was just the color of my
hair."
(Reporting by Tim Reid and Alexandra
Alper; Editing by Sandra Maler and Jill Serjeant)
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Alfonso
Cuaron wins best director Oscar for 'Gravity'
