Ben Affleck's Iran rescue thriller Argo has won best picture from the Academy Awards.

It's the first best picture winner not to be nominated for best director since 1989's Driving Miss Daisy. But despite the omission of Affleck or perhaps buoyed by it Argo emerged as the Oscar favorite, winning top honors from the directors, producers, screen actors and writers guilds.

Affleck and fellow producers George Clooney and Grant Heslov accepted the award Sunday night.

Among the other eight nominees, Steven Spielberg's Lincoln was perceived as the biggest competition to Argo. The other nominees were Life of Pi, Silver Linings Playbook, Zero Dark Thirty, Les Miserables, Amour, Beasts of the Southern Wild and Django Unchained.

Daniel Day-Lewis and Jennifer Lawrence won the best actor and best actress awards respectively at the 85th Academy Awards held here Sunday night.

While Lawrence won for her role in Silver Linings Playbook, Day-Lewis bagged it for Lincoln.

Other vying for best actor trophy were Bradley Cooper, Hugh Jackman, Joaquin Phoenix, Denzel Washington.

The nominations for best actress category were Jessica Chastain, Emmanuelle Riva, Quvenzhane Wallis and Naomi Watts.

(Inputs from IANS and AFP)

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