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Year: 2005 (78th) Academy Awards
Category: Directing
Film Title: Brokeback Mountain
Winner: Ang Lee
Presenter: Tom Hanks
Date & Venue: March 5, 2006; Kodak Theatre
ANG LEE: [To the Oscar statuette:] Wow, I wish I knew how to quit you. First of all, I want to thank two people who don't even exist, or I should say, they do exist because of the imagination of Annie Proulx and the artistry of Larry McMurtry and Diana Ossana. Their names are "Ennis" and "Jack" and they taught all of us who made "Brokeback Mountain" so much about, not just all the gay men and women whose love is denied by society, but just as important, the greatness of love itself. Thank you. Thank you, members of the Academy, for this tremendous honor. And to everyone at Focus Features, in particular David Linde, James Schamus, thank you for your love and support. To Bill Pohlad, Tory Metzger, Ira Schreck, Joe Dapello, many thanks. And a special thanks to David Lee. And thanks to my wife Jane Lin and my boys Han and Mason. I love you. On "Brokeback" I felt you with me every day. I just did this movie after my father passed away; more than any other, I made this for him. And finally, to my mother and family and everybody in Taiwan, Hong Kong, China: Xiexie dajie de guanxin. Thank you.
[Ed. note: Mandarin translation: "Thanks to everyone's caring thought."]
© Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences[Note: All winners are present except where noted; NOT all winners may have spoken.]
