Awards Watch: Slumdog Millionaire Wins National Board Prize

05 December 2008

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Slumdog Millionaire's campaign for Oscar glory was given a major boost yesterday as it was named Best Film at the prestigious annual awards of the National Board of Review of Motion Pictures.

The awards are quite often seen as the first major indicator as to who will win what at the Academy Awards, last year they named No Country For Old Men Best Film and it went on to win the Best Picture Oscar as well as Best Director for the Coen Brothers.

There was further success for Danny Boyle's Slumdog Millionaire as it's leading man Dev Patel also won the award for the best breakthrough performance by an actor.

The film won rave reviews on the festival circuit as it scooped the Cadillac People�s Choice Award at the Toronto Film Festival, an award which was voted for by the audience.

The film follows Jamal Malik, an eighteen year old orphan from the slums of Mumbai who is on the verge of winning Who Wants to be A Millionaire? But when the show breaks for the night police arrest him on suspicion of cheating: how could a street kid know so much?

Desperate to prove his innocence Jamal tells the story of his life in the slum where he and his brother grew up, of their adventures together on the road, of vicious encounters with local groups and of Latika, the girl he loved and lost. And is one of the big British chances this awards season.

Actor turned director Clint Eastwood added to his awards collection as he scooped Best Actor for his role in Gran Torino as a racist Korean War veteran while it was Anne Hathaway who took Best Actress for Rachel getting Married, an award that further cements her as a really Oscar possibility.

The supporting roles went to Penelope Cruz for her role in Vicky Cristina Barcelona while Josh Brolin took the actor gong for his role as Dan White in Milk.

David Fincher took Best Director for his movie The Curious Case of Benjamin Button while Frozen River enjoyed further awards success by winning the Courtney Hunt best directorial debut.

Best Picture: Slumdog Millionaire

Best Documentary: Man on Wire

Top Five Documentaries: American Teen, The Betrayal (Nerakhoon), Dear Zachary, Encounters at the End of the World, Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired

Top Independent Films: Frozen River, In Bruges, In Search of a Midnight Kiss, Mr. Foe, Rachel Getting Married, Snow Angels, Son of Rambow, Wendy and Lucy, Vicky Cristina Barcelona, The Visitor.

Best Actor: Clint Eastwood, Gran Torino

Best Actress: Anne Hathaway, Rachel Getting Married

Best Supporting Actor: Josh Brolin, Milk

Best Supporting Actress: Penelope Cruz, Vicky Cristina Barcelona

Best Ensemble Cast: Doubt

Breakthrough Performance by an Actor: Dev Patel, Slumdog Millionaire

Breakthrough Performance by an Actress: Viola Davis, Doubt

Best Director: David Fincher, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Best Directorial Debut: Courtney Hunt, Frozen River

Best Adapted Screenplay: Simon Beaufoy, Slumdog Millionaire and Eric Roth, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Spotlight Award: Melissa Leo, Frozen River and Richard Jenkins, The Visitor

Best Original Screenplay: Nick Schenk, Gran Torino