Leonardo DiCaprio, Martin Sheen, and Mark Wahlberg in Warner Bros. Pictures' crime drama "The Departed."  Photo courtesy of Andrew Cooper.

By Kwame Patterson
February 27, 2007 -  The Mayor’s Office of Film, Theatre & Broadcasting applauds The Departed for winning four Oscars at Sunday night’s 79th Annual Academy Awards. As a “Made in NY” film, The Departed won an Academy Award for Best Picture, Writing for an Adapted Screenplay and Film Editing. Meanwhile, New York City’s own Martin Scorsese won the Oscar for Best Director. This was Scorsese’s first Oscar, but eighth Academy Award nomination. He was previously nominated for:

The Aviator (2004) -- Nominee, Directing
Gangs of New York (2002) -- Nominee, Directing
The Age of Innocence (1993) -- Nominee, Writing (Adapted)
Goodfellas (1990) -- Nominee, Directing
Goodfellas (1990) -- Nominee, Writing (Adapted)
The Last Temptation of Christ (1988) -- Nominee, Directing
Raging Bull (1980) -- Nominee, Directing

The Departed, a story of Boston cops and mobsters, won four out of five nominations and was part of a long list of Academy Award noninated films that took advantage of New York’s tax credit incitives.

These films included: Ryan Gosling for Half Nelson, Meryl Streep for The Devil Wears Prada, Kate Winslet for Little Children and Todd Field and Tom Perrotta for Little Children. The Mayor’s Office of Film, Theatre & Broadcasting congratulates all of Sunday night’s winners and nominees.

But even before the Oscar nods were handed out, participating films of the “Made in NY” tax incentive program were already receiving national and international acknowledgement.

So far, “Made in NY” participants received accolades in several critics’ top 10 lists, garnered 162 award nominations, and have come away with 51 wins in various film awards.

The tax incentive program offers a 10% refundable tax credit from New York State and a 5% refundable tax credit from New York City for films and television productions that complete at least 75% of their stage work in New York City. The incentive is based upon their NY production costs.

Other “Made in NY” films that won awards outside of the Oscars include: The Good Shepherd, A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints, and Inside Man. Congratulations to all the nominees from the Mayor’s Office of Film, Theatre and Broadcasting!

Award shows featuring all of these films include: The Academy Awards, Boston Society of Film Critics Awards, Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards, Chicago Film Critics Association Awards, Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association Awards, Directors Guild of America, USA, Florida Film Critics Circle Awards, Golden Globes, USA, Las Vegas Film Critics Society Awards, National Board of Review, USA, National Society of Film Critics Awards, USA, New York Film Critics Circle Awards, Online Film Critics Society, Phoenix Film Critics Society Awards, Satellite Awards, Southeastern Film Critics Association Awards, Washington DC Area Film Critics Association Awards, Writers Guild of America, USA, New York Film Critics Circle Awards, Online Film Critics Society Awards, Palm Springs International Film Festival, San Francisco Film Critics Circle, Southeastern Film Critics Association Awards, Young Hollywood Awards, Gijon International Film Festival, Sundance Film Festival, Venice Film Festival, Satellite Award and the Black Movie Award.