For the second year in a row, specialty distributor Fox Searchlight and production company New Regency have taken home the best picture Oscar. Last year, it was 12 Years a Slave. This year, it’s Birdman. But while that winning streak is impressive in itself, what makes it even more remarkable is that Birdman almost didn’t happen. Birdman’s heroic flight from script to Academy Award victor further cements a powerful partnership between Searchlight and Regency.
