Spotlight is a film.
Sexual abuse scandal in the Catholic archdiocese of Boston . Its in-depth reporting was the central subject of Tom McCarthy 's film Spotlight in 2015 , which won two Academy Awards including Best Picture . Spotlight (film) . The film follows The Boston Globe `` Spotlight '' team , the oldest continuously operating newspaper investigative journalist unit in the United States , and its investigation into cases of widespread and systemic child sex abuse in the Boston area by numerous Roman Catholic priests . Spotlight won the Academy Award for Best Picture along with Best Original Screenplay from six nominations in total , making Spotlight the first film from Open Road Films to win in either category .