"La La Land" director Damien Chazelle, solidified his chances at the Oscars, by taking home the trophies for best director and screenplay.
The film's leading stars Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone predictably won the trophies for best actor and actress in a motion picture- musical or comedy.
Gosling, in an heartfelt speech, thanked his partner, Eva Mendes, for supporting him during the film.
"While I was singing and dancing and playing piano and having one of the best experiences I have ever had on a film, my lady was raising our daughter, pregnant with our second and trying to help her brother who is fighting cancer. If Eva had not taken all that on so I could have this experience, there would be surely someone else standing here today," he said.
An emotional Stone thanked her mother, father and brother for being supportive throughout.
"This is a film for dreamers. Hope and creativity are two of the most important things in the world and that's what this movie is about," Stone said, adding she shares this award with everyone who "had a door slammed at their face".
"La La Land" also took the best original score award and best original song for a motion picture for 'City of Stars'.
However, in a surprise move the other big award of the night went to "Moonlight", which pipped Dev Patel-starrer "Lion", "Manchester By The Sea", "Hacksaw Rridge" and "Hell or High Water".
Isabelle Huppert pulled off an upset win in the best actress in a motion picture - drama for "Elle" over Amy Adams, Natalie Portman, Ruth Negga and Jessica Chastain.
Her French movie "Elle" was named the best foreign film. Actor Casey Affleck won the best actor in a motion picture - drama for his moving performance in "Manchester By the Sea".
In the best supporting actor and actress categories the trophies went to Aaron Taylor-Johnson of "Nocturnal Animals", who beat nominees like British-Indian Dev Patel "Lion", Mahershala Ali for "Moonlight", Jeff Bridges for "Hell or High Water" and Simon Helberg for "Florence Foster Jenkins".
Viola Davis won th best supporting actress category for "Fences".
The highlight of the evening, however, was Cecil B DeMille Award recipient Meryl Streep's passionate speech criticising President-elect.
She said the "performance" that stood out this year did not belong to an actor but to Trump when he publicly mocked a disabled reporter.
"There was nothing good about it, but it did its job. It kind of broke my heart when I saw it, and I still can't get it out my head because it wasn't in a movie, it was in real life.
"That instinct to humiliate when it's modeled by someone in a public platform, it filters down into everyone's life because it gives permission for others to do the same."