Prime Focus' Double Negative wins 'Best VFX' Oscar for 'Ex Machina'

Acclaimed Visual Effects (VFX) house Double Negative, part of India-listed Prime Focus has been honored with the Academy Award for 'Best Visual Effects' for 'Ex Machina'.

The film industry's highest honor was presented to Andrew Whitehurst, Paul Norris, Mark Ardington and Sara Bennett at the 88th Annual Academy Awards held on Sunday in Los Angeles.

Double Negative's work on 'Ex Machina' was selected by Academy voters over other 'Best VFX' nominees that included 'The Martian', 'Mad Max: Fury Road', 'The Revenant' and 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens.'

Double Negative was the lead VFX house on 'Ex Machina', and Double Negative's Andrew Whitehurst was the overall VFX Supervisor on the movie.

Reacting to the good news, Namit Malhotra Founder, Executive Chairman & Global CEO, Prime Focus said, "This is an incredibly proud moment for all of us at Prime Focus and Double Negative. I want to congratulate Alex Hope, Matt Holben, Andrew Whitehurst and all the creative, production and technical teams at Double Negative for bringing home this exceptional honor, and for continuing to innovate and push the boundaries of what is possible. This comparatively low-budget film was up against huge competition from some of the highest-grossing films of last year, which only makes this achievement even greater. And the fact that it is Double Negative's second consecutive Oscar win, after Interstellar last year, further validates our efforts to provide our clients with the very best in creative and technical excellence."

"Winning the Academy Award for our work on Ex Machina is testament to the strength of the talent at Double Negative, and the collaborative nature of the production," added Matt Holben, CEO, Double Negative.

This is the second Oscar in as many years for Double Negative, and its third in the last six years.

The company has previously taken home the prestigious award for Christopher Nolan's 'Inception' in 2011 and for its groundbreaking work on 'Interstellar' last year.