At last Martin Scorsese wins the oscar

A happy Martin Scorsese accepts his Oscar for best director for The Departed at the 79th Annual Academy Awards in Hollywood. photo by Reuters.

It's payback time for Martin Scorsese who finally won Hollywood's greatest prize on his eighth nomination after 26 long years.

Righting an injustice that had swelled with each snub of his illustrious career, on Sunday the Academy honored him with the best-directing Oscar for "The Departed."

Scorsese, 64, took the stage to an outpouring of emotion and when he accepted the golden statue from presenter Steven Spielberg. He joked in disbelief: "Could you double-check the envelope?"

In Hollywood crime pays. The story of rival mob and police moles remade from the Hong Kong thriller "Infernal Affairs" was the most popular film at the box office making more than $131 million. The Departed was announced as the best picture. It also won for best adapted screenplay and best editing.

The filmmaker who had a childhood of ill health had an initial desire to be priest. But he developed a passion for cinema and has persued his dream. Today he has gained the highest recognition from his peers many of whom say it was long coming.

As "The Departed" arrived in theaters last year, he talked about the elusive honour that evaded him for so long, "I guess it's all right. I'm disappointed, of course. But you don't make pictures to win Oscars."