At the 76th Academy Awards, 'The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King' achieved the 'cleanest sweep' in history. It was nominated for 11 Oscars and won all 11, including Best Picture and Best Director. This tied the record for the most wins by a single film (shared with 'Ben-Hur' and 'Titanic'), but unlike those two, it didn't lose in a single category where it was nominated. The win was widely seen as a reward for the entire trilogy, which had revolutionized the fantasy genre and visual effects. It remains the first and only fantasy film to ever win the Best Picture award, a major victory for genre filmmaking that had historically been overlooked for top honors.