Academy Awards 2014: Alfonso Cuarón's long, transforming trip to the stage

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Cate Blachett, Matthew McConaughey, Lupita Nyong’o and more took home Oscar statuettes at the 86th Academy Awards held at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood. The glitzy event, hosted by talk show host Ellen DeGeneres, included musical performances and a big win for “12 Years a Slave,” which took home best picture. Here’s a look at some highlights from the show. (Kevin Winter / Getty Images / John Shearer/Invision/AP)

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Actor-producer Brad Pitt, center, accepts the best picture Oscar for “12 Years a Slave.” “Thank you all,” Pitt said. “Thank you for this incredible honor you’ve bestowed on our film.” (Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

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Actor-producer Brad Pitt, left, accepts the best picture Oscar for historic biopic “12 Years a Slave” from actor Will Smith. (Kevin Winter / Getty Images)

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Alfonso Cuaron accepts the director Oscar for space thriller “Gravity.” (Rob Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

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Angelina Jolie honors Sidney Poitier before the pair introduces the nominees for director. (Kevin Winter / Getty Images)

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Matthew McConaughey accepts the lead actor Oscar for “Dallas Buyers Club,” a film that took 20 years to come to fruition. (Kevin Winter / Getty Images)

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Actress Jennifer Lawrence walks onto stage and asks “Why are you laughing?” to her peers sitting in the audience. She then introduces the nominees for lead actor. (Kevin Winter / Getty Images)

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Cate Blanchett accepts the lead actress Oscar for her role in “Blue Jasmine.” She praises her fellow nominees in the category. (Kevin Winter / Getty Images)

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Screenwriter-director Spike Jonze accepts the original screenplay Oscar for “Her.” “We made a movie about relationships and intimacy and that’s what we share together.” (Kevin Winter / Getty Images)

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John Ridley accepts the adapted screenplay Oscar for “12 Years a Slave.” “All the praise goes to Solomon Northup -- those are his words.” (Kevin Winter / Getty Images)

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Penelope Cruz and Robert De Niro announce the nominees for adapted and original screenplay. (Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

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Jamie Foxx and Jessica Biel announce the nominees for original score. (Kevin Winter / Getty Images)

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Idina Menzel sings “Let It Go,” written by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez for Disney’s “Frozen.” (Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

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Songwriters Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez accept the original song Oscar for “Let It Go’ from Disney’s “Frozen.” The pair wrote a charming, rhyming acceptance speech. (Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

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Actress Glenn Close pays tribute to notable movie-industry figures who have died.

(Kevin Winter / Getty Images)

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Bette Midler sings “Wind Beneath My Wings” as part of the In Memoriam tribute. (Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

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Beverley Dunn, left, and Catherine Martin accept the production design award for “The Great Gatsby.” Dunn emphasized that the win wouldn’t have been possible without the technicians involved in the film. (Kevin Winter / Getty Images)

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Jennifer Garner and Benedict Cumberbatch announce the nominees for production design. (Kevin Winter / Getty Images)

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Ellen DeGeneres comes out wearing a costume from “The Wizard of Oz.” She pretends to be bummed for missing Pink’s performance. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

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Pink performs the song “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” in a tribute to the film “The Wizard of Oz.” (Kevin Winter / Getty Images)

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TV personality-actress Whoopi Goldberg introduces the tribute to the film “The Wizard of Oz,” which includes a performance of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” by Pink. (Kevin Winter / Getty Images)

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Kevin Spacey briefly gets into his “House of Cards” character onstage. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

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Amy Adams and Bill Murray have fun with their speech as they announce the nominees for cinematography. (Kevin Winter / Getty Images)

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Director-editor Alfonso Cuaron and editor Mark Sanger accept the editing Oscar for space odyssey “Gravity.” (Kevin Winter / Getty Images)

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Anna Kendrick and Gabourey Sidibe announce the nominees for film editing.

(Kevin Winter / Getty Images)

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Ellen DeGeneres gathers members from the audience for a selfie. Bradley Cooper does the honors. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

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Ellen DeGeneres gathers members from the audience for a selfie. She aims to see how often the photo is retweeted in hopes of breaking a world record. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

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Host Ellen DeGeneres gathers all the front-row stars and takes a selfie during the telecast. She aimis to see how often the photo is retweeted in hopes of breaking the world record. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

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Kevin Spacey grabs a slice of pizza that host Ellen DeGeneres ordered for stars in the audience, assuming they were all hungry. (Kevin Winter / Getty Images)

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Host Ellen DeGeneres walks through the aisles with a pizza delivery man. Assuming the audience members were hungry, DeGeneres took it upon herself to order some pizza for all. (Kevin Winter / Getty Images)

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Sound editor Glenn Freemantle accepts sound editing Oscar for “Gravity.” (Kevin Winter / Getty Images)

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Kate Hudson and Jason Sudeikis onstage. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times))

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Brad Pitt, who is nominated for his role in the historic biopic “12 Years a Slave,” walks on stage. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

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Sound mixers Christopher Benstead, Niv Adiri, Skip Lievsay, and Chris Munro accept the sound mixing Oscar for “Gravity.” (Kevin Winter / Getty Images)

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Chris Hemsworth and Charlize Theron announce the nominees for sound mixing. (Kevin Winter / Getty Images)

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Tyler Perry introduces a few of the films up for best picture. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

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Lupita Nyong’o accepts the supporting actress Oscar for “12 Years a Slave.” “YES!” she began. “Thank you so much [director Steve McQueen] for putting me int his position, it has been the joy of my life.” She ended her heartfelt speech by saying, “No matter where you are from, your dreams are valid.” (Kevin Winter / Getty Images)

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Sound editor Glenn Freemantle accepts the sound editing Oscar for “Gravity.” (Kevin Winter / Getty Images)

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Actors Michael B. Jordan and Kristen Bell speak onstage.

(Kevin Winter / Getty Images)

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Janet Friesen, director Morgan Neville, producer Caitrin Rogers, and singer Darlene Love accept the documentary feature Oscar for “20 Feet From Stardom.” (Kevin Winter / Getty Images)

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Actress Sally Field speaks onstage. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

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Singer Bono of U2 performs “Ordinary Love,” which the band wrote for “Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom.” (Kevin Winter / Getty Images)

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U2 performs “Ordinary Love,” which the band wrote for “Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom.” (Kevin Winter / Getty Images)

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Actor Bradley Cooper speaks onstage. (Kevin Winter / Getty Images)

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Actor Toni Servillo, director Paolo Sorrentino, and producer Nicola Giuliano accept the foreign-language film Oscar for “The Great Beauty.” (Kevin Winter / Getty Images)

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Actors Ewan McGregor and Viola Davis announce the nominees for foreign-language film. (Kevin Winter / Getty Images)

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Visual effects artists Neil Corbould, David Shirk, Timothy Webber and Chris Lawrence accept the visual effects Oscar for “Gravity.” (Kevin Winter / Getty Images)

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Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Emma Watson announce the nominees for visual effects. (Kevin Winter / Getty Images)

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Zac Efron announces Karen O. and “her hauntingly beautiful ballad,” “The Moon Song,” from Spike Jonze’s love story “Her.” (Kevin Winter / Getty Images)

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Producer Peter Del Vecho, directors Jennifer Lee and Chris Buck accept the animated feature Oscar for Disney’s “Frozen.” “Thank you so much for supporting this,” Lee said. (Kevin Winter / Getty Images)

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Kim Novak and Matthew McConaughey announce the nominees for animated feature. (Kevin Winter / Getty Images)

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Filmmakers Nicholas Reed and Malcolm Clarke accept the documentary short film Oscar for “The Lady In Number 6.” (Kevin Winter / Getty Images)

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Filmmakers Kim Magnusson and Anders Walter accept live-action short film Oscar for “Helium.” (Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

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Filmmakers Laurent Witz and Alexandre Espigares accept the animated short film Oscar for “Mr. Hublot.” (Kevin Winter / Getty Images)

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A group of film students who won a student competition are part of “Team Oscar.” (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

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Channing Tatum introduces a group of students that are part of “Team Oscar.” (Kevin Winter / Getty Images)

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Harrison Ford pays tribute to the best picture nominees this year. (Kevin Winter / Getty Images)

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Adruitha Lee and Robin Mathews accept the makeup and hairstyling Oscar for their work in “Dallas Buyers Club.” “You fought for the hair and makeup for this film,” Mathews said. “To Matthew McConaughey and Jared Leto,” Matthews continued, “Thank you for letting us transform your looks millions of times.” (Kevin Winter / Getty Images)

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Catherine Martin wins a costume design Oscar for her work in “The Great Gatsby.” She reached for a piece of paper tucked into her bra. “It’s an Australian thing to do,” she said. (Kevin Winter / Getty Images)

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Naomi Watts and Samuel L. Jackson announce the nominees for costume design, and makeup and hairstyling. (Kevin Winter / Getty Images)

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This is Ellen DeGeneres’ second time as Oscars host, an honor she jokingly calls the “highest award there is.” (Kevin Winter / Getty Images)

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Pharrell Williams performs the song “Happy,” which he wrote for the animated film “Despicable Me 2.” (Kevin Winter / Getty Images)

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Kerry Washington introduces Pharrell Williams, who performed the song “Happy” from “Despicable Me 2.” (Kevin Winter / Getty Images)

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Host Ellen DeGeneres takes a selfie showing all the “beautiful” people she’s surrounded by. (Kevin Winter / Getty Images)

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Jim Carrey presents a tribute to animation and jokingly reads “animation” as the drug “LSD.” (Kevin Winter / Getty Images)

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Jared Leto wins the supporting actor Oscar for his role as the AIDS-stricken transsexual Rayon in “Dallas Buyers Club.” Leto said: “To all my fellow nominees, I’m so proud to share this journey with you. This,” he said as he raised his award, “is for the 36 million people who have lost the battle to AIDS.”

(Kevin Winter / Getty Images)

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Anne Hathaway presents the nominees for supporting actor. (Kevin Winter / Getty Images)

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Jennifer Lawrence, center, laughs as Ellen DeGeneres uses part of her opening monologue to poke fun at Lawrence’s tripping last year. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

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Live from the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Ellen DeGeneres resumes her title as host and lets the jokes begin. She opens her monologue poking fun at the rain that’s showered Los Angeles, saying, “We’re fine. Thank you for your prayers.” (Kevin Winter / Getty Images)

By Greg Braxton

March 3, 2014 4:30 AM PT

Alfonso Cuaron, who labored for four years in creating “Gravity,” won the Oscar Sunday for best director at the 86th Academy Awards.

The native Mexican filmmaker, who had already won the Golden Globe, the BAFTA and the Directors Guild Award, became the first Latin-American to win the Academy Award in the category.

The director received a rousing reception when his name was announced. When he finally reached the stage after hugging and kissing several well-wishers, Cuaron shared a soulful handshake with presenter and Oscar winner Sidney Poitier.

FULL COVERAGE: Oscars 2014 | Complete list of winners

“I want to thank ‘Gravity’ because for many of us involved in this film, it was definitely a transformative experience,” Cuaron said during his acceptance speech. He then quipped, “It’s good, because it took so long that if it was not, it would have been a waste of time.”

He made another joke in thanking Warner Bros., the studio behind the film. At first, he referred to them as “the wise guys of Warner Bros.” before correcting himself, saying “the wise people of Warner Bros.”

The directing award was the second Oscar of the night for Cuaron, who shared the best editing award with Emmanuel Lubeski.

The suspenseful story starring Sandra Bullock as a desperate astronaut stranded in space dominated the technical categories, winning five other Oscars, including best visual effects and cinematography.

PHOTOS: Red carpet arrivals | Show highlights

Cuaron praised his son Jonas, who co-wrote the film, and paid special tribute to Bullock.

“Sandy, you are ‘Gravity,’ ” he said to the actress whose portrayal won her a best actress nomination. “You are the soul and heart of the film. You are the most amazing collaborator and one of the greatest people I have ever met.”

In the last several weeks, the best director race had been one of the more competitive and closely watched of the award season. Cuaron was considered a front-runner for the Oscar along with “12 Years A Slave” director Steve McQueen.

The filmmaker had spent four years working on “Gravity,” which presented numerous technical obstacles. To create the illusion of Bullock and co-star George Clooney floating through space, Cuaron and his team strapped them into mechanized rigs designed to spin them around on command, while a camera was similarly mounted on a giant robotic arm.

PHOTOS: Winners’ room | Behind the scenes | Quotes from the stars

But Cuaron has repeatedly said the technology was secondary in his goal of depicting a heartwrenching journey for Bullock’s character.

“I never thought about making a groundbreaking film,” Cuaron said last September at the Telluride Film Festival. “It was just the only way to make this story about a woman overcoming adversity.”

“Gravity” is the latest in Cuaron’s impressive gallery of prestige films that include “Children of Men, “Y Tu Mama Tambien,” and “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.”

greg.braxton@latimes.com