Mel Gibson he founded Icon Entertainment, a production company, which independent film director Atom Egoyan has called "an alternative to the studio system". Director Peter Weir cast him as one of the leads in the critically acclaimed World War I drama "Gallipoli" (1981), which earned Gibson a Best Actor Award from the Australian Film Institute, as well as a reputation as a serious, versatile actor. Gibson produced, directed, and starred in the epic historical drama film "Braveheart" (1995), for which he won the Golden Globe Award and Academy Award for Best Director, along with the Academy Award for Best Picture. He later
Empire Award for Best Film below, winners are listed first in boldface, followed by the other nominees. The number of the ceremony (1st, 2nd, etc.) appears in parentheses after the awards year, linked to the article (if any) on that ceremony. "†" indicates the film won the Academy Award for Best Picture. Empire Award for Best Film The Empire Award for Best Film is an Empire Award presented annually by the British film magazine "Empire" to honor the best film of the previous year. The Empire Award for Best Film is one of five ongoing awards which were first introduced at the 1st Empire Awards