The Empire team let out a heartfelt cheer this evening as Danny Boyle's Slumdog Millionaire romped to victory at the BAFTAs. Scooping a total of seven gongs, including Best Film, Best Director and best Adapted Screenplay. Coming in a distant second was The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button, with three awards, but by any standard tonight was Slumdog's night.
Kate Winslet added yet another shiny ornament for her mantelpiece, scooping Best Actress. Nominated for both Revolutionary Road and The Reader, Winslet picked up the award for the latter, fears of a split vote proving unfounded. Penelope Cruz took Best Supporting Actor for her role in Vicky Cristina Barcelona.
Mickey Rourke seemed genuinely humbled when he took the stage to accept Best Actor for **The Wrestler **and also won Empire's honorary award for best speech of the evening when he thanked Darren Aronofsky for taking a chance on him after he'd spent a great many years “fucking up” his career. Doctor Who veteran Noel Clark beat out the opposition to secure the Orange Rising Star Award while, in the least surprising moment ever, Heath Ledger's phenomenal turn as The Joker in Chris Nolan's **The Dark Knight **was recognised as Ledger received a posthumous award for Best Supporting Actor.
Click here to see photos of the 2009 BAFTA winners and presenters.
The full list of winners:
BEST FILM
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
FROST/NIXON
MILK
THE READER
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
OUTSTANDING BRITISH FILM
HUNGER
IN BRUGES
MAMMA MIA!
MAN ON WIRE
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
LEADING ACTOR
FRANK LANGELLA Frost/Nixon
DEV PATEL Slumdog Millionaire
SEAN PENN Milk
BRAD PITT The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
MICKEY ROURKE The Wrestler
LEADING ACTRESS
ANGELINA JOLIE Changeling
KRISTIN SCOTT THOMAS I’ve Loved You So Long
MERYL STREEP Doubt
KATE WINSLET The Reader
KATE WINSLET Revolutionary Road
SUPPORTING ACTOR
ROBERT DOWNEY JR. Tropic Thunder
BRENDAN GLEESON In Bruges
PHILIP SEYMOUR HOFFMAN Doubt
HEATH LEDGER The Dark Knight
BRAD PITT Burn After Reading
SUPPORTING ACTRESS
AMY ADAMS Doubt
PENÉLOPE CRUZ Vicky Cristina Barcelona
FREIDA PINTO Slumdog Millionaire
TILDA SWINTON Burn After Reading
MARISA TOMEI The Wrestler
THE CARL FOREMAN AWARD for Special Achievement by a British Director, Writer or Producer for their First Feature Film
SIMON CHINN Producer – Man On Wire
JUDY CRAYMER Producer – Mamma Mia!
GARTH JENNINGS Writer – Son of Rambow
STEVE McQUEEN Director/Writer – Hunger
SOLON PAPADOPOULOS / ROY BOULTER Producers – Of Time And The City
DIRECTOR
CHANGELING Clint Eastwood
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON David Fincher
FROST/NIXON Ron Howard
THE READER Stephen Daldry
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE Danny Boyle
ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
BURN AFTER READING Joel Coen / Ethan Coen
CHANGELING J. Michael Straczynski
I’VE LOVED YOU SO LONG Philippe Claudel
**IN BRUGES Martin McDonagh
**MILK Dustin Lance Black
ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON Eric Roth
FROST/NIXON Peter Morgan
THE READER David Hare
REVOLUTIONARY ROAD Justin Haythe
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE Simon Beaufoy
**FILM NOT IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE **
THE BAADER MEINHOF COMPLEX
GOMORRAH
**I'VE LOVED YOU SO LONG
**PERSEPOLIS
WALTZ WITH BASHIR
ANIMATED FILM
PERSEPOLIS
**WALL•E **
WALTZ WITH BASHIR
MUSIC
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON Alexandre Desplat THE DARK KNIGHT Hans Zimmer / James Newton Howard
MAMMA MIA! Benny Andersson / Björn Ulvaeus
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE A. R. Rahman
WALL•E Thomas Newman
CINEMATOGRAPHY
CHANGELING
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
THE DARK KNIGHT
THE READER
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
**EDITING **
CHANGELING
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
THE DARK KNIGHT
FROST/NIXON
IN BRUGES
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
PRODUCTION DESIGN
CHANGELING
**THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
**THE DARK KNIGHT
REVOLUTIONARY ROAD
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
COSTUME DESIGN
CHANGELING
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
THE DARK KNIGHT
**THE DUCHESS **
REVOLUTIONARY ROAD
SOUND
CHANGELING
THE DARK KNIGHT
QUANTUM OF SOLACE
**SLUMDOG MILLIONARE
**WALL•E
SPECIAL VISUAL EFFECTS
**THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
**THE DARK KNIGHT
INDIANA JONES AND THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL
IRON MAN
QUANTUM OF SOLACE
MAKE UP & HAIR
**THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
**THE DARK KNIGHT
THE DUCHESS
FROST/NIXON
MILK
**SHORT ANIMATION **
CODSWALLOP
VARMINTS
WALLACE AND GROMIT: A MATTER OF LOAF AND DEATH
SHORT FILM
KINGSLAND #1 THE DREAMER
LOVE YOU MORE
RALPH
**SEPTEMBER **
VOYAGES D’AFFAIRES (THE BUSINESS TRIP)
ORANGE RISING STAR AWARD
MICHAEL CERA
NOEL CLARKE
MICHAEL FASSBENDER
REBECCA HALL
TOBY KEBBELL