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 It was a celebratory moment at an uncertain time for the studio,
one of several Fox film and television businesses in the process
of being sold to Walt Disney Co.
Fox Searchlight has now collected the Academy Award for best
picture a total of four times since 2009 winner "Slumdog
Millionaire," and it has built a reputation for taking chances
on unusual movies that appeal to independent film fans.
"The place I like to live the most is Fox Searchlight," "Shape
of Water" director Guillermo del Toro said as he accepted the
best director award.
Del Toro said studio executives heard his pitch about a fairy
tale involving an amphibian god and a mute woman, told in the
style of a thriller. Their response? They felt it was "a sure
bet," he said.
Fox Searchlight collected six awards overall, including best
actress and supporting actor for dark comedy "Three Billboards
Outside Ebbing, Missouri."
At Disney, the film studio focuses on blockbuster franchises
such as "The Avengers" and "Star Wars," raising questions about
how much it might invest in lower-budget movies likely to yield
smaller box-office returns.
Disney Chief Executive Bob Iger has praised Fox Searchlight's
work and offered assurances that high-quality, low-cost films
have a place at his company, but he has given few details about
his plans for Fox's film units. Disney also is buying the 20th
Century Fox studio which produces blockbusters like "Planet of
the Apes."
The company's purchase of Fox businesses is undergoing
regulatory review that is expected to take at least a year.
Comcast Corp has launched a rival bid for one asset -- Britain's
Sky PLC -- which has complicated the deal.
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In the meantime, "Shape of Water" is likely to enjoy renewed
interest at movie box offices, where it has collected $126.4 million
worldwide.
Last year's winner, "Moonlight," took in $5.7 million after it won
best picture, or 21 percent of its total U.S. and Canadian ticket
sales, according to comScore.
Also on Sunday, Disney's Pixar Animation Studios claimed best
animated feature and original song for "Coco," the story of a young
Mexican boy with a passion for music.
Comcast Corp's Universal Pictures won four awards, including best
actor for Gary Oldman's portrayal of Winston Churchill in "Darkest
Hour," and best original screenplay for Jordan Peele for "Get Out."
Peele thanked Universal executives for taking on the project. "I
thought no one was going to make this movie," he said.
Time Warner Inc's Warner Bros. won four trophies, including three
technical awards for "Dunkirk."
Netflix Inc, which is investing heavily in documentary and feature
films, won best documentary for "Icarus" about the Olympic doping
scandal in Russia.
Filmmaker Bryan Fogel thanked Netflix for exposing documentaries to
a large audience around the world by releasing them simultaneously
on its streaming service to 190 countries.
"Netflix has single‑handedly changed the documentary world," Fogel
said. "They have given voice to documentary in a way that no company
or distributor has ever done before."
(Reporting by Lisa Richwine; Editing by Sandra Maler)
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