The English Patient is a 1996 film adaptation of the novel by Michael Ondaatje. The film, directed by Anthony Minghella, won nine Academy Awards, including Best Picture. Ondaatje worked closely with the filmmakers to preserve his artistic vision, and has stated that he is happy with the film as an adaptation. In the film, the character of Count de Almásy, played by Ralph Fiennes, is heavily fictionalised. An overview is provided in the 2003 Saul Kelly book, The Hunt for Zerzura: The Lost Oases and the Desert War.