Oscars 2016: Indies Knock Box Office Hits Off Best Picture List

Amidst framed pictures with Evans pals like Michael Jackson, Jack Nicholson, Brett Ratner, and fellow Paramount studio chiefs like Sumner Redstone and Brad Grey, Morgen surveyed the crowd. "It's nice to see so many other documentarians here...campaigning for their own films," he deadpanned. Kirby Dick and Abigail Disney were also on scene.

Sam Mendes and Harrison Ford stare each other down at the Britannia Awards on October 30. Mendes was honored with the John Schlesinger Britannia Award for Excellence in Directing presented by The GREAT Britain Campaign and Ford was honored with the Albert R. Broccoli trophy “for worldwide contribution to entertainment.”

Meryl Street was going right to the top at the Britannia Awards: British Consul General Chris O’Connor. When accepting her award, Streep thanked the British government for giving her several work permits.

Mark Ruffalo points out the real Michael Rezendes at the Boston premiere of "Spotlight" on Wednesday, October 28. Ruffalo plays the Boston Globe investigative reporter in the buzzy pic out November 6.

Director Tom McCarthy and Open Road CEO and President Tom Ortenberg made the trip to Boston, after the film's NYC premiere earlier in the week. 

Boston royalty John Henry (Owner, Boston Globe, Boston Red Sox, and more) with wife Linda Pizzuti. 

Earlier, Ruffalo hosted GQ Publisher Howard Mittman's Gentleman's Fund event in NYC.

Abigail Disney's "Armor of Light," an engaging documentary of Capitol Hill Tea Partiers' far-right evangelical Reverend Rob Schenck's inability to reconcile being "pro-life" and "pro-gun," to the chagrin of his passionate base,  had its L.A. premiere at the DGA on Wednesday, October 13. (His constituency thinks the "NRA is a liberal organization," Schenck (far right) said.)  Diane Warren (bottom right, with Disney) got an early look before the film opens on October 30.

The "Truth" comes out....for its Academy screening. Star Cate Blanchett headlined the L.A. reveal of the film on Monday night, October 5. The James Vanderbilt-directed drama with Robert Redford and Elisabeth Moss is a contender tackling Dan Rather's censured report on President George W. Bush's military service. Sony Pictures Classics releases it in NYC and LA on October 16.

The producers' billing block on the film includes Brett Ratner, Andrew Spaulding, and Doug Mankoff ("Nebraska"). The reception in the lobby featured regular SPC partners Ketel One and STK Out. 

The guestlist for Davis Guggenheim's "He Named Me Malala" L.A. premiere? 7,000 high school aged L.A. girls, who filled the Microsoft Theatre on Tuesday morning September 29 at the event hosted by Megan Chernin's L.A. Fund. Peter Chernin, host Megan Chernin, J.J. Abrams, Katie McGrath, and Gracie Abrams helped kick off the "Girls Build L.A. Challenge" at the event, leading in to October's "Girls Empowerment" month.

Later on the same day, Fox Searchlight brought "He Named Me Malala" to a LACMA screening with Film Independent, where the Oscar winning Guggenheim sat down with Elvis Mitchell. 

David Nevins and Brian Grazer (left, center) hosted a private advance screening of Amy Berg's doc "Prophets Prey" at the UTA Theater on the night after the Emmys. Previous Oscar nominee Berg's film, an investigation into Warren Jeffs and the cult of the FLDS, goes in to theaters on Sep. 25 for an Oscar qualifying run.

"Showtime" family Dax Shepard and Kristen Bell came to the screening. Amy Berg introduces the Showtime Documentary Films production which will come to the cabler on October 10.   Bottom right, Exec Producer Brian Grazer

Oscar contenders were pouring out at the 2015 Toronto Film Festival. 

No party for "Black Mass" at TIFF, but Johnny Depp looked intimidating and Amber Heard looked ready for festivities arriving at Monday's premiere in Toronto. With the film opening this Friday, in a non-festival week, it would have likely premiered south of the border on the same night.

"Spotlight" star Michael Keaton with Anonymous Content's Steve Golin at the two-floor sprawling Soho House party for the ripped from the headlines film getting awards buzz.  Vulture called it "The Best Picture Front-Runner".

Ray Donovan has a word for his "Spotlight" director Tom McCarthy at the Grey Goose hosted after party.

Anonymous Content main man Michael Sugar and wife Lauren Sugar at the "Spotlight" party. Sugar is a producer on "Spotlight".

"Juno" pals Jason Reitman and J.K. Simmons reconnected at Simmons' post-premiere party for "The Meddler" at Soho House on Monday, September 14.

Making mom proud: "The Meddler" director Lorene Scafaria gets the ultimate hug-of-approval.

Ratner and Rather: The director and the news legend connected at the "Truth" party at Patria.

Catherine Hardwicke took off her "Miss You Already" baseball hat she had been wearing for Women In Film and Tiffany's panel on Monday, Sep 14. "The Duff" Producer Susan Cartsonis and "Grey Gardens" writer and now "Into the Forest" director Patricia Rozema participated.

Olivia Wilde won the inaugural IMDB "Starmeter" award at TIFF 2013. On Monday night, "Room" director Lenny Abrahamson presented it to his lead, Brie Larson. 

Lots of buzz around "Our Brand is Crisis". Participant CEO Jeff Skoll and producer George Clooney at Participant's party.

"Selma" director Ava DuVernay and Participant EVP Jonathan King at Participant's bash. 

Nicholas Hoult rocked a "deliriously funny" turn in "Kill Your Friends," as an A&R man in navigating the Brit-Pop explosion of 1997. 

"Twenty Feet from Stardom" Oscar winner Morgan Neville (right) is back with another music doc: "Keith Richards: Under the Influence". They celebrated at TIFF at Nikki Beach's popup at the Spoke Club.

The party you wanted to be at on Saturday night: HFPA and InStyle at the Windsor Arms. Zoe Kazan, Paul Dano, and Susan Sarandon at the cross-industry party. 

Carmen Ejogo with "The Danish Girl" lead and reigning Best Actor.

Learn this name: Jacob Tremblay. He stars with Brie Larson in "The Room". One awards commentator called him a "lead pipe cinche" for a Best Supporting Actor Oscar nom.

The view inside the Windsor Arms.

Dakota Johnson,  John Lesher, Warner Bros. Pictures President Sue Kroll and Elizabeth Olsen at HFPA.

Sarah Silverman and Sir Patrick Stewart make a great comedy duo.

Two rhyming directors in the awards mix: Tom Hooper ("The Danish Girl") and Scott Cooper ("Black Mass").

The Oscar winning Hooper with his Oscar nominated "The Kings Speech" actor Geoffrey Rush.

Matt Damon met Torontonians before "The Martian" premiere on Friday night, September 11. Multiple awards commentators said the same thing -- his campaign is "blasting off."

Martians: Kate Mara, Jessica Chastain and Sebastian Stan at the Fandango/Samsung studio on Sept. 11 before the film's premiere.

"The Martian" co-star Chiwetel Ejiofor (an Oscar nominee two seasons ago) gives Wireimage founder Jeff Vespa an "Is that so?" at the Guess Portrait Studio on Sept. 11.

WME co-CEO Patrick Whitesell with Jake Gyllenhaal inside Soho House after the "Demolition" premiere on TIFF's opening night. Highly praised, "Demolition" will be looking at Oscars 2017, as it does not arrive in theaters until April 2016.

Elizabeth Olsen goes "Jaws" on co-star Tom Hiddleston's cake at the Addison on Sept. 11 while celebrating "I Saw the Light," the Hank Williams biopic.

Meanwhile, Sony Pictures Classics Co-President Tom Bernard was equally loose at the "I Saw the Light" party.

Cannes hit "Sicario" touched down on Sept. 11 on the west side of the Atlantic. Oscar winner Benicio del Toro leads the cast, which includes Emily Blunt and Josh Brolin. The after party at Soho House was part of Grey Goose's series of high-profile bashes.

More in Emmys territory than Oscars, the Property Brothers Jonathan and Drew Scott (as well as off-screen bro J.D., left), hosted TIFF honcho Cameron Bailey at the Producers Ball on Friday night of opening weekend.

Jonathan and Drew Scott taste-test the Level Over and Samsung VR as Oscar contenders filtered through the Samsung space for interviews by Fandango's Dave Karger.

Christopher Simon acts like he just married Catherine Hardwicke, whose "Miss You Already" hit the fest.

The scene inside the Guess Portrait Studio on opening weekend. 

Naomi Watts and Elle Fanning prepare to take a selfie the morning after Fox Searchlight's "Demolition" opening night festivities.

Fox Searchlight's David Greenbaum with Heather Lind, who plays Julia in "Demolition."

Chris Cooper also partied at Soho on Thursday night.

Jason Reitman grips director Jean-Marc Vallee, who previously wowed TIFF with "Dallas Buyers Club" two seasons ago. Reitman is an executive producer on "Demolition."

Gyllenhaal has a first-look deal with Bold Films (President Gary Michael Walters is center). Denis Villeneuve also made the Soho House after party hosted by Grey Goose.

Vallee with screenwriter Bryan Sipe. Sipe's script appeared on the Blacklist, the collection of hot unproduced film lit.

Grey Goose's global face Joe McCanta (the chemist behind the awards season cocktails) chats with Monica Bacardi at Soho House. 

Oscar winner Jean Dujardin popped in to Fandango and Samsung Galaxy's Studio on Friday.

At the Venice Film Festival, Sunrise and Mark Ruffalo celebrated "Spotlight." Moet & Chandon and Chopard threw a bash at PalazzinaG. 

Dujardin's former co-star in "The Artist," Berenice Bejo, toasted "The Childhood of a Leader" at the Venice Film Festival, with Elizabeth Banks, Odessa Young, and more at the PalazzinaG.