My Octopus Teacher, the heartwarming story of a human-octopus friendship, has won the Oscar for best documentary at the 93rd Academy Awards, which are taking place in Los Angeles.

Directed by Pippa Ehrlich and James Reed, My Octopus Teacher follows film-maker and diver Craig Foster as he explores an underwater kelp forest near Cape Town, South Africa. Foster appears to bond with an octopus he encounters living in the area.

The film has already won a string of festival and critics’ awards, as well as taking both the Bafta and Producers Guild awards for best documentary, making it a firm favourite for the Oscar. However, it had to defeat a strong lineup, including criminal justice system testimony Time, disability documentary Crip Camp, and corruption investigation Collective.