Slumdog Millionaire wins eight Oscars
SLUMDOG Millionaire swept the board at the Oscars, winning eight awards, including the prestigious best film and best director.
Kate Winslet finally won her first Academy Award as she was named best actress for her performance in The Reader.
The 33-year-old has endured five unsuccessful nominations and said she had been rehearsing her acceptance since she was eight years old.
Sean Penn upset the odds to win the best actor award, beating favourite Mickey Rourke. There was a best supporting actor award for Heath Ledger – only the second time an acting Oscar had been given posthumously.
Winslet managed to rein in the emotions that got the better of her in her Golden Globes acceptance speech earlier this year.
She said: “I’d be lying if I hadn’t made a version of this speech before, I think I was probably eight years old and staring into the bathroom mirror. And this (holding up her statuette) would’ve been a shampoo bottle. Well, it’s not a shampoo bottle now!
Slumdog’s success at awards ceremonies has been matched by its performance at the box office – since opening on January 9 it has taken £21 million in the UK alone.
Tessa Ross, controller of Film4, which funded the movie, said the success showed there was a huge appetite for independent British cinema.
To see a list of Oscar winners >>>
