Honestly, if you were around in 2006, you remember the "vibe." You couldn’t turn on a late-night talk show without hearing a crack about "gay cowboys." It was everywhere. But behind the cheap jokes was a movie that absolutely cleaned up during awards season, right until the very last second of the biggest night of the year.
People still ask did Brokeback Mountain win any awards because there's this lingering, collective memory of it being "robbed." It’s one of those rare cinematic moments where the trophy count doesn't quite tell the whole story. While the film took home a staggering amount of hardware, its legacy is forever tied to the one it didn't get.
The Night the Oscar Went to the Wrong House
Let's get the big one out of the way. When Jack Nicholson walked onto the Kodak Theatre stage to announce Best Picture at the 78th Academy Awards, he looked genuinely stunned. He opened the envelope, hesitated for a beat, and said, "Crash."
It was a total "record scratch" moment for Hollywood.
Up until that point, Ang Lee's masterpiece was the undisputed frontrunner. It had won almost every major precursor award in existence. But when it came to the big prize, the Academy blinked. Many experts, including those looking back twenty years later, point to a mix of old-school Hollywood homophobia and a heavy "hometown" bias for Crash, which was a love letter (of sorts) to Los Angeles.
Despite that legendary upset, did Brokeback Mountain win any awards that night? Absolutely. It didn't go home empty-handed.
- Best Director: Ang Lee made history as the first Asian director to win this category. His win felt like a validation of the film’s sheer technical and emotional brilliance.
- Best Adapted Screenplay: Larry McMurtry and Diana Ossana won for turning Annie Proulx’s lean, devastating short story into a cinematic epic.
- Best Original Score: Gustavo Santaolalla’s minimalist, acoustic guitar-driven soundtrack took home the gold. You can probably hear those lonely strings just thinking about it.
The film was nominated for eight Oscars in total. Heath Ledger, Jake Gyllenhaal, and Michelle Williams all received acting nods, though none of them won. Looking back, Heath Ledger’s loss to Philip Seymour Hoffman (Capote) is one of those "how do you even choose?" scenarios. Both were monumental.
Dominating the Golden Globes and BAFTAs
If you look outside the Oscars, the "did Brokeback Mountain win any awards" question gets a much more resounding "yes." In many ways, the other major ceremonies were much braver than the Academy.
The 63rd Golden Globes were basically a Brokeback victory lap. The film walked away with four major trophies, including Best Motion Picture – Drama. It also scooped up Best Director, Best Screenplay, and Best Original Song for "A Love That Will Never Grow Old." At that point, a Best Picture Oscar felt like a foregone conclusion.
Over in the UK, the BAFTAs were just as impressed. They gave it Best Film, beating out the local favorite The Constant Gardener. Jake Gyllenhaal actually won Best Supporting Actor there, which remains one of the highlights of his career. It’s funny—sometimes it takes a bit of distance (geographic or otherwise) for a film's quality to be seen without the baggage of American "culture wars."
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The Awards You Might Have Forgotten
Beyond the "Big Three," the film was a juggernaut. It’s easy to forget that it won the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival. That’s the highest honor at one of the most prestigious festivals in the world. It signaled, months before the movie even hit US theaters, that this wasn't just a "niche" story—it was high art.
- Critics' Choice: Won Best Picture and Best Director.
- Producers Guild (PGA): Won the top prize, which is usually the most accurate predictor for the Oscars.
- Directors Guild (DGA): Ang Lee took the top honor here, too.
- Independent Spirit Awards: Cleaned up with Best Feature and Best Director.
Basically, if there was a trophy to be handed out in 2005 or 2006, Brokeback Mountain was probably on the shortlist.
Why the "Loss" Matters More Than the Wins
There’s a reason we’re still talking about this in 2026. Crash has largely faded into the "Oh yeah, that movie" category of history. It’s often cited as one of the worst Best Picture winners ever, mainly because its take on race felt heavy-handed even back then.
Brokeback Mountain, on the other hand, has only grown in stature.
In 2018, the Library of Congress added it to the National Film Registry. That’s a bigger deal than an Oscar, honestly. It means the US government officially recognizes it as "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant." It changed how queer stories were told in the mainstream. It proved that a "gay" movie could be a massive box-office hit, raking in over $178 million on a tiny $14 million budget.
Michelle Williams recently joked in an interview about the loss, essentially asking "What even was Crash?" It’s a sentiment shared by most of the industry now. The "did it win awards" conversation usually turns into a "why didn't it win the award" conversation because the film felt like a turning point that Hollywood wasn't quite ready to fully embrace.
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Real Talk: The Awards Summary
If you need the quick "cheat sheet" of what happened, here it is:
| Ceremony | Major Wins | Notable Nominations |
|---|---|---|
| Academy Awards | Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Original Score | Best Picture, Best Actor (Ledger), Best Supporting Actor (Gyllenhaal), Best Supporting Actress (Williams) |
| Golden Globes | Best Picture (Drama), Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Song | Best Actor, Best Supporting Actress |
| BAFTA Awards | Best Film, Best Director, Best Supporting Actor, Best Adapted Screenplay | Best Actor, Best Supporting Actress |
| Venice Film Festival | Golden Lion (Best Film) | N/A |
What to Do Next
If you haven’t watched Brokeback Mountain in a few years, go back and see it again. It’s not just a "sad movie." The way Ang Lee uses the landscape to reflect the characters' internal isolation is incredible. Pay attention to the silence. Most modern movies are afraid of quiet, but this film lives in it.
After that, check out some of the films it paved the way for. Movies like Moonlight—which actually did win Best Picture a decade later—owe a massive debt to Ennis and Jack. You can really see the evolution of how the Academy handles these stories by comparing the 2006 snub to the 2017 win.
Finally, if you're a fan of the score, look up Gustavo Santaolalla’s live performances. The man is a genius with a Ronroco, and hearing that theme played live is a whole different experience than hearing it through your TV speakers. It’s the sound of the American West, reimagined.