Green Book, a comedy drama film directed by Peter Farrelly, won the Best Picture Award at the 91st Academy Awards ceremony, or the Oscars, held at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood in the western US city of Los Angeles on Sunday night.

The film defeated strong competition from Black Panther, BlacKkKlansman, Bohemian Rhapsody, The Favorite, Roma, A Star Is Born and Vice.

Britain's Olivia Colman won a surprise best actress Oscar for her performance as an ailing, petulant monarch in historical film The Favorite.

Rami Malek won the Best Actor Award for music biopic Bohemian Rhapsody.

Malek was awarded for his incandescent performance as Queen's lead singer Freddie Mercury in Bohemian Rhapsody, making him the first Egyptian-American to win the Oscars' top acting prize.

Mexican filmmaker Alfonso Cuaron won the Best Director Award for the monochromatic drama film Roma.

Cuaron beat out fierce rivals, including Spike Lee for BlacKkKlansman, Pawel Pawlikowski for Cold War, Yorgos Lanthimos for The Favorite and Adam McKay for Vice.

Chinese-centric Bao claimed Best Animated Short at the ceremony.

The short is written and directed by Chinese-born Canadian director Domee Shi and produced by Pixar Animation Studios.

Bao explores the life of a Chinese immigrant mom living in Toronto with her inattentive husband and struggling to cope with loneliness after her beloved son flies the nest. Remarkably, the mom's deep, empty-nester angst turns to joy when a cute, leftover dumpling (a bao) comes alive in true Pinocchio fashion.

Shi is the first woman and first Chinese writer and director of a Pixar short.