As Predicted, SA-Born Margaret Sixel Wins Oscar for Mad Max: Fury Road

As predicted, South African-born and raised Margaret Sixel won the Best Film Editing Oscar on Monday evening for ‘Mad Max: Fury Road’.

This was the first Academy Award nomination – and (obviously) win – for Sixel, who studied film editing in Australia, and now lives in Sydney with her husband of over 21 years, George Miller… who happens to also be the writer and director of the Mad Max franchise.

The film was the biggest winner at the Oscars – arriving with 10 nominations and leaving with a whopping six wins (for Best Costume Design, Best Make-Up and Hair Styling, Best Film Editing, Best Production Design, Best Sound Editing and Best Sound Mixing).

As Sixel said when she received her award “us Mad Maxers are doing okay tonight!” She thanked her husband and his team for bringing back fantastic footage after “six months in that Namibian desert” (the film had to be filmed in Namibia after its usual Australian location wasn’t arid enough after some good rains!).

And then she thanked her editing team for working with their hands, heads and “most importantly, their hearts”.

Sixel had to wade through 480 hours of film to cut the movie down to two hours… a feat which took approximately 2,700 edits!

Today Sixel – who was a hot favourite to win the Oscar – was celebrated in several heavyweight international film magazines for winning an award in a category that’s usually the domain of men.

She admitted in a recent interview that on one of the more stressful days during her three years of editing, her two teenage sons had said to her: “Mom, you are the only mother in the world cutting an action film. Do you know how many people want your job?”

Watch Video: Margaret Sixel awarded Best Film Editing Oscar for Mad Max: Fury Road

The Oscar was presented by Bollywood actress Priyanka Chopra.

https://youtu.be/rNUnBTY8fEQ

Watch Video: Miller ‘Surprised’ By ‘Mad Max’ Oscar Buzz

Margaret Sixel and husband George Miller chat here, before the Oscars, about how “delighted” and surprised they were by all the nominations…

South Africa’s Charlize Theron – who stars in Mad Max as Imperator Furiosa opposite Tom Hardy – was the first person Sixel spotted from the stage last night. “Charlize!” she called. Theron, who has previously won an Academy Award for her performance in ‘Monster’, was not a nominee last night… although she was on the red carpet talking about her role, her hair and how unique the film was.

Watch Video: Charlize Theron Talks “Mad Max” Haircut at Oscars 2016

And here if you missed it: Watch Chris Rock’s full opening monologue from the 88th Academy Awards

https://youtu.be/8q15bqRcPt8