'Slumdog Millionaire' wins big with eight Oscars.

“Slumdog Millionaire” swept the Oscars with 8 awards including best picture and best director for Briton director Danny Boyle. A rag-to-riches story of a poor Indian boy who competes for love and money on a TV game show, also earned Oscars for best cinematography, sound mixing, film editing, original score and best song, "Jai Ho".


The movie which was filmed in the teeming slums of Mumbai almost failed to get released when it was dropped by Warner Independent Pictures, its first financier. Thanks to Fox Searchlight Pictures who rescued the movie and released it last November.

Other big winners are Sean Penn who won his second best-actor award, Kate Winslet who took the best actress trophy, Heath Ledger and Penelope Cruz for their supporting prizes.

Sean Penn took his second Oscar best-actor trophy by playing a slain gay-rights pioneer in "Milk," while Kate Winslet won the best actress for "The Reader," in which she plays a former concentration camp guard who involves herself in a love affair with a teenage boy. This is her first Oscar after five previous losses.
"I would be lying if I said I haven't made a version of this speech before. I think I was probably 8-years-old and staring into the bathroom mirror," she said.

"This would have been a shampoo bottle," she said gesturing to the golden Oscar statuette. "Well it's not a shampoo bottle now!"
Penelope Cruz won an Academy award for her supporting role in “Vicky Cristina Barcelona to become the first Spanish actress to win an Academy Award. As expected, Heath Ledger was posthumously named best supporting actor for his villainous role as The Joker in "The Dark Knight."

The award for Ledger, who died 13 months ago of an accidental prescription drug overdose, brought the crowd to its feet. He became the second actor after Peter Finch to win an Academy award posthumously. The award was accepted by his father, Kim Ledger, sister Kate and mother Sally Bell.

Here are the complete list of winners:

Motion Picture: "Slumdog Millionaire."
Actor: Sean Penn, "Milk."
Actress: Kate Winslet, "The Reader."
Supporting Actor: Heath Ledger, "The Dark Knight."
Supporting Actress: Penelope Cruz, "Vicky Cristina Barcelona."
Director: Danny Boyle, "Slumdog Millionaire."
Foreign Film: "Departures," Japan.
Adapted Screenplay: Simon Beaufoy, "Slumdog Millionaire."
Original Screenplay: Dustin Lance Black, "Milk."
Animated Feature Film: "WALL-E."
Art Direction: "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button."
Cinematography: "Slumdog Millionaire."
Sound Mixing: "Slumdog Millionaire."
Sound Editing: "The Dark Knight."
Original Score: "Slumdog Millionaire," A.R. Rahman.
Original Song: "Jai Ho" from "Slumdog Millionaire," A.R. Rahman and Gulzar.
Costume: "The Duchess."
Documentary Feature: "Man on Wire."
Documentary (short subject): "Smile Pinki."