The Iran-based drama has cemented its awards season success by winning the top prize at this year's Academy Awards

Lincoln, Life of Pi, Zero Dark Thirty, Argo, Les Misérables, Silver Linings Playbook - a year's-worth of prestige American pictures arrive all at once, laments Andrew Collins

Director Kathryn Bigelow and screenwriter Mark Boal take on a heavy burden, to deliver an accurate account of that CIA mission while moving to the beat of a compelling spy thriller

But while the number of female film-makers sounds low, a new study has found that it's actually on the up

"There are people in the CIA who have come forward and said we messed up and over-sensationalised the torture. That’s also okay to hear. There’s a range of opinions"

Silver Linings Playbook also won in four categories while Skyfall and Oscar favourite Lincoln walked away with three awards apiece

On the eve of the Academy Award nominations, Andrew Collins goes one step further and predicts the Oscar winners in the biggest categories