The 2012 Best Picture Oscar Winner was 'ARGO'. Directed by Ben Affleck, the film is a dramatization of the 1980 joint CIA-Canadian secret operation to rescue six American diplomats from Tehran, Iran during the 1979-1981 Iran hostage crisis. It stars Ben Affleck, Bryan Cranston, Alan Arkin, and John Goodman. The film won three Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Film Editing.