The Lord of the Rings Trilogy

Peter Jackson first made his mark with a trio of splatter movies, before he and writing partner Fran Walsh were nominated for an Academy Award with Heavenly Creatures in 1995. The project that took them into the cinematic stratosphere was The Lord of the Rings — three beloved blockbusters, completed over four years, based on the sprawling fantasy novel by JRR Tolkien. In 2004 the climactic episode, The Return of the King, became the first fantasy film to win Best Picture at the Academy Awards. With eleven gongs, it also became one of the biggest winners in Oscar history.