The biggest winners at this years Oscars were French film The Artist, and Hugo, each claiming five awards.

The Artist dominated the top prizes, picking up Best Picture, Best Director (Michael Hazanavicius) and Best Actor (Jean Dujardin). It was the first black and white film to win Best Picture since Wings in 1928, and was also triumphant in the Original Score and Best Costume categories.

Martin Scorsese's Hugo ruled the technical categories, winning for Art Direction, Cinematography, Sound Editing, Sound Mixing and Visual Effects.

Meryl Streep also managed to fight off some stiff competition from Michelle Williams and Viola Davis to Best Actress for her role as Margaret Thatcher in The Iron Lady.