‘Slumdog’ scoops eight Oscars
Rags-to-riches romance Slumdog Millionaire scooped eight Oscars at the 81st Academy Awards held at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood on Sunday, the most any movie this year has taken, including best motion picture.
Rags-to-riches romance Slumdog Millionaire scooped eight Oscars at the 81st Academy Awards held at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood on Sunday, the most any movie this year has taken, including best motion picture.
Among the Slumdog honours, Briton Danny Boyle was named best director for the often dark, but ultimately hopeful tale about a poor Indian boy who competes for love and money on a TV game show, and writer Simon Beaufoy won adapted screenplay.
Slumdog also earned Oscars for best cinematography, sound mixing, film editing, original score for composer A.R. Rahman and best song, Jai Ho for Rahman and lyricist Gulzar. Only seven other films in the 81-year-history of the Oscars have won eight or more awards.
Filmed in the teeming slums of Mumbai, the movie was orphaned at one point when it was dropped by financier Warner Independent Pictures, a division of giant Warner Bros. Fox Searchlight Pictures ultimately rescued the project and released the movie to critical acclaim in November.
British Actress Kate Winslet was named best actress for her dramatic turn as a former Nazi prison guard who involves herself in a love affair with a teenage boy in The Reader.
“I would be lying if I said I haven’t made a version of this speech before. I think I was probably eight-years-old and staring into the bathroom mirror,†she said.
Sean Penn earned his second Oscar for best actor, portraying slain gay rights activist Harvey Milk in Milk. He gave one of the few political speeches of the evening, asking people to rethink their beliefs and support gay marriage.
Dustin Lance Black won the best original screenplay Oscar for writing Milk, and Wall-E, telling of a futuristic robot who finds love while on a polluted Earth, was best animated film. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button walked off with two statuettes for best art direction and makeup, and The Duchess won for best costume design.
Man on Wire about a tightrope walker who dared to walk between New York’s Twin Towers was named best documentary. In the night’s one big surprise, Japanese movie Departures beat the favorite, Israeli film Waltz With Bashir, for foreign language film.
Reuters
Among the Slumdog honours, Briton Danny Boyle was named best director for the often dark, but ultimately hopeful tale about a poor Indian boy who competes for love and money on a TV game show, and writer Simon Beaufoy won adapted screenplay.
Slumdog also earned Oscars for best cinematography, sound mixing, film editing, original score for composer A.R. Rahman and best song, Jai Ho for Rahman and lyricist Gulzar. Only seven other films in the 81-year-history of the Oscars have won eight or more awards.
Filmed in the teeming slums of Mumbai, the movie was orphaned at one point when it was dropped by financier Warner Independent Pictures, a division of giant Warner Bros. Fox Searchlight Pictures ultimately rescued the project and released the movie to critical acclaim in November.
British Actress Kate Winslet was named best actress for her dramatic turn as a former Nazi prison guard who involves herself in a love affair with a teenage boy in The Reader.
“I would be lying if I said I haven’t made a version of this speech before. I think I was probably eight-years-old and staring into the bathroom mirror,†she said.
Sean Penn earned his second Oscar for best actor, portraying slain gay rights activist Harvey Milk in Milk. He gave one of the few political speeches of the evening, asking people to rethink their beliefs and support gay marriage.
Dustin Lance Black won the best original screenplay Oscar for writing Milk, and Wall-E, telling of a futuristic robot who finds love while on a polluted Earth, was best animated film. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button walked off with two statuettes for best art direction and makeup, and The Duchess won for best costume design.
Man on Wire about a tightrope walker who dared to walk between New York’s Twin Towers was named best documentary. In the night’s one big surprise, Japanese movie Departures beat the favorite, Israeli film Waltz With Bashir, for foreign language film.
Reuters