Opening number featuring Anne Hathaway
2009
The 81st Academy Awards | 2009
Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Honoring movies released in 2008
Memorable Moments
Winners & Nominees
Actor in a Leading Role
Winner
Sean Penn
Milk
Nominees
Richard Jenkins
The Visitor
Frank Langella
Frost/Nixon
Brad Pitt
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Mickey Rourke
The Wrestler
Actor in a Supporting Role
Winner
Heath Ledger
The Dark Knight
Nominees
Josh Brolin
Milk
Robert Downey Jr.
Tropic Thunder
Philip Seymour Hoffman
Doubt
Michael Shannon
Revolutionary Road
Actress in a Leading Role
Winner
Kate Winslet
The Reader
Nominees
Anne Hathaway
Rachel Getting Married
Angelina Jolie
Changeling
Melissa Leo
Frozen River
Meryl Streep
Doubt
Actress in a Supporting Role
Winner
Penélope Cruz
Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Nominees
Amy Adams
Doubt
Viola Davis
Doubt
Taraji P. Henson
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Marisa Tomei
The Wrestler
Animated Feature Film
Winner
WALL-E
Andrew Stanton
Nominees
Bolt
Chris Williams and Byron Howard
Kung Fu Panda
John Stevenson and Mark Osborne
Art Direction
Winner
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Art Direction: Donald Graham Burt; Set Decoration: Victor J. Zolfo
Nominees
Changeling
Art Direction: James J. Murakami; Set Decoration: Gary Fettis
The Dark Knight
Art Direction: Nathan Crowley; Set Decoration: Peter Lando
The Duchess
Art Direction: Michael Carlin; Set Decoration: Rebecca Alleway
Revolutionary Road
Art Direction: Kristi Zea; Set Decoration: Debra Schutt
Cinematography
Winner
Slumdog Millionaire
Anthony Dod Mantle
Nominees
Changeling
Tom Stern
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Claudio Miranda
The Dark Knight
Wally Pfister
The Reader
Chris Menges and Roger Deakins
Costume Design
Winner
The Duchess
Michael O'Connor
Nominees
Australia
Catherine Martin
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Jacqueline West
Milk
Danny Glicker
Revolutionary Road
Albert Wolsky
Directing
Winner
Slumdog Millionaire
Danny Boyle
Nominees
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
David Fincher
Frost/Nixon
Ron Howard
Milk
Gus Van Sant
The Reader
Stephen Daldry
Documentary (Feature)
Winner
Man on Wire
James Marsh and Simon Chinn
Nominees
The Betrayal (Nerakhoon)
Ellen Kuras and Thavisouk Phrasavath
Encounters at the End of the World
Werner Herzog and Henry Kaiser
The Garden
Scott Hamilton Kennedy
Trouble the Water
Tia Lessin and Carl Deal
Documentary (Short Subject)
Winner
Smile Pinki
Megan Mylan
Nominees
The Conscience of Nhem En
Steven Okazaki
The Final Inch
Irene Taylor Brodsky and Tom Grant
The Witness - From the Balcony of Room 306
Adam Pertofsky and Margaret Hyde
Film Editing
Winner
Slumdog Millionaire
Chris Dickens
Nominees
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Kirk Baxter and Angus Wall
The Dark Knight
Lee Smith
Frost/Nixon
Mike Hill and Dan Hanley
Milk
Elliot Graham
Foreign Language Film
Winner
Departures
Japan
Nominees
The Baader Meinhof Complex
Germany
The Class
France
Revanche
Austria
Waltz with Bashir
Israel
Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award
Winner
Jerry Lewis
Makeup
Winner
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Greg Cannom
Nominees
The Dark Knight
John Caglione, Jr. and Conor O'Sullivan
Hellboy II: The Golden Army
Mike Elizalde and Thom Floutz
Music (Original Score)
Winner
Slumdog Millionaire
A.R. Rahman
Nominees
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Alexandre Desplat
Defiance
James Newton Howard
Milk
Danny Elfman
WALL-E
Thomas Newman
Music (Original Song)
Winner
Slumdog Millionaire
Jai Ho in "Slumdog Millionaire" Music by A.R. Rahman; Lyric by Gulzar
Nominees
WALL-E
Down To Earth in "WALL-E" Music by Peter Gabriel and Thomas Newman; Lyric by Peter Gabriel
Slumdog Millionaire
O Saya in "Slumdog Millionaire" Music and Lyric by A.R. Rahman and Maya Arulpragasam
Best Picture
Winner
Slumdog Millionaire
Christian Colson, Producer
Nominees
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Frost/Nixon
Brian Grazer, Ron Howard and Eric Fellner, Producers
Milk
Dan Jinks and Bruce Cohen, Producers
The Reader
Anthony Minghella, Sydney Pollack, Donna Gigliotti and Redmond Morris, Producers
Short Film (Animated)
Winner
La Maison en Petits Cubes
Kunio Kato
Nominees
Lavatory - Lovestory
Konstantin Bronzit
Oktapodi
Emud Mokhberi and Thierry Marchand
Presto
Doug Sweetland
This Way Up
Alan Smith and Adam Foulkes
Short Film (Live Action)
Winner
Spielzeugland (Toyland)
Jochen Alexander Freydank
Nominees
Auf der Strecke (On the Line)
Reto Caffi
Manon on the Asphalt
Elizabeth Marre and Olivier Pont
New Boy
Steph Green and Tamara Anghie
The Pig
The Pig
Sound Editing
Winner
The Dark Knight
Richard King
Nominees
Iron Man
Frank Eulner and Christopher Boyes
Slumdog Millionaire
Glenn Freemantle and Tom Sayers
WALL-E
Ben Burtt and Matthew Wood
Wanted
Wylie Stateman
Sound Mixing
Winner
Slumdog Millionaire
Ian Tapp, Richard Pryke and Resul Pookutty
Nominees
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
David Parker, Michael Semanick, Ren Klyce and Mark Weingarten
The Dark Knight
Lora Hirschberg, Gary Rizzo and Ed Novick
WALL-E
Tom Myers, Michael Semanick and Ben Burtt
Wanted
Wanted
Visual Effects
Winner
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Eric Barba, Steve Preeg, Burt Dalton and Craig Barron
Nominees
The Dark Knight
Nick Davis, Chris Corbould, Tim Webber and Paul Franklin
Iron Man
John Nelson, Ben Snow, Dan Sudick and Shane Mahan
Writing (Adapted Screenplay)
Winner
Slumdog Millionaire
Screenplay by Simon Beaufoy
Nominees
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Screenplay by Eric Roth; Screen story by Eric Roth and Robin Swicord
Doubt
Written by John Patrick Shanley
Frost/Nixon
Screenplay by Peter Morgan
The Reader
Screenplay by David Hare
Writing (Original Screenplay)
Winner
Milk
Written by Dustin Lance Black
Nominees
Frozen River
Written by Courtney Hunt
Happy-Go-Lucky
Written by Mike Leigh
In Bruges
Written by Martin McDonagh
WALL-E
Screenplay by Andrew Stanton, Jim Reardon; Original story by Andrew Stanton, Pete Docter
A
Auf der Strecke (On the Line)
1 NominationShort Film (Live Action) - Reto Caffi
Australia
1 NominationCostume Design - Catherine Martin
B
The Baader Meinhof Complex
1 NominationForeign Language Film - Germany
The Betrayal (Nerakhoon)
1 NominationDocumentary (Feature) - Ellen Kuras and Thavisouk Phrasavath
Bolt
1 NominationAnimated Feature Film - Chris Williams and Byron Howard
C
Changeling
3 NominationsActress in a Leading Role - Angelina Jolie in "Changeling"
Art Direction - Art Direction: James J. Murakami; Set Decoration: Gary Fettis
Cinematography - Tom Stern
The Class
1 NominationForeign Language Film - France
The Conscience of Nhem En
1 NominationDocumentary (Short Subject) - Steven Okazaki
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
13 Nominations, 3 WinsMusic (Original Score) - Alexandre Desplat
Actor in a Leading Role - Brad Pitt in "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"
Cinematography - Claudio Miranda
Directing - David Fincher
Sound Mixing - David Parker, Michael Semanick, Ren Klyce and Mark Weingarten
Costume Design - Jacqueline West
Film Editing - Kirk Baxter and Angus Wall
Writing (Adapted Screenplay) - Screenplay by Eric Roth; Screen story by Eric Roth and Robin Swicord
Actress in a Supporting Role - Taraji P. Henson in "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"
Best Picture - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
* Art Direction - Art Direction: Donald Graham Burt; Set Decoration: Victor J. Zolfo
* Visual Effects - Eric Barba, Steve Preeg, Burt Dalton and Craig Barron
* Makeup - Greg Cannom
D
The Dark Knight
8 Nominations, 2 WinsArt Direction - Art Direction: Nathan Crowley; Set Decoration: Peter Lando
Makeup - John Caglione, Jr. and Conor O'Sullivan
Film Editing - Lee Smith
Sound Mixing - Lora Hirschberg, Gary Rizzo and Ed Novick
Visual Effects - Nick Davis, Chris Corbould, Tim Webber and Paul Franklin
Cinematography - Wally Pfister
* Actor in a Supporting Role - Heath Ledger in "The Dark Knight"
* Sound Editing - Richard King
Defiance
1 NominationMusic (Original Score) - James Newton Howard
Departures
1 Win, 1 Nomination* Foreign Language Film - Japan
Doubt
5 NominationsActress in a Supporting Role - Amy Adams in "Doubt"
Actress in a Leading Role - Meryl Streep in "Doubt"
Actor in a Supporting Role - Philip Seymour Hoffman in "Doubt"
Actress in a Supporting Role - Viola Davis in "Doubt"
Writing (Adapted Screenplay) - Written by John Patrick Shanley
The Duchess
2 Nominations, 1 WinArt Direction - Art Direction: Michael Carlin; Set Decoration: Rebecca Alleway
* Costume Design - Michael O'Connor
E
Encounters at the End of the World
1 NominationDocumentary (Feature) - Werner Herzog and Henry Kaiser
F
The Final Inch
1 NominationDocumentary (Short Subject) - Irene Taylor Brodsky and Tom Grant
Frost/Nixon
5 NominationsBest Picture - Brian Grazer, Ron Howard and Eric Fellner, Producers
Actor in a Leading Role - Frank Langella in "Frost/Nixon"
Film Editing - Mike Hill and Dan Hanley
Directing - Ron Howard
Writing (Adapted Screenplay) - Screenplay by Peter Morgan
Frozen River
2 NominationsActress in a Leading Role - Melissa Leo in "Frozen River"
Writing (Original Screenplay) - Written by Courtney Hunt
G
The Garden
1 NominationDocumentary (Feature) - Scott Hamilton Kennedy
H
Happy-Go-Lucky
1 NominationWriting (Original Screenplay) - Written by Mike Leigh
Hellboy II: The Golden Army
1 NominationMakeup - Mike Elizalde and Thom Floutz
I
In Bruges
1 NominationWriting (Original Screenplay) - Written by Martin McDonagh
Iron Man
2 NominationsSound Editing - Frank Eulner and Christopher Boyes
Visual Effects - John Nelson, Ben Snow, Dan Sudick and Shane Mahan
K
Kung Fu Panda
1 NominationAnimated Feature Film - John Stevenson and Mark Osborne
L
La Maison en Petits Cubes
1 Win, 1 Nomination* Short Film (Animated) - Kunio Kato
Lavatory - Lovestory
1 NominationShort Film (Animated) - Konstantin Bronzit
M
Man on Wire
1 Win, 1 Nomination* Documentary (Feature) - James Marsh and Simon Chinn
Manon on the Asphalt
1 NominationShort Film (Live Action) - Elizabeth Marre and Olivier Pont
Milk
8 Nominations, 2 WinsBest Picture - Dan Jinks and Bruce Cohen, Producers
Music (Original Score) - Danny Elfman
Costume Design - Danny Glicker
Film Editing - Elliot Graham
Directing - Gus Van Sant
Actor in a Supporting Role - Josh Brolin in "Milk"
* Actor in a Leading Role - Sean Penn in "Milk"
* Writing (Original Screenplay) - Written by Dustin Lance Black
N
New Boy
1 NominationShort Film (Live Action) - Steph Green and Tamara Anghie
O
Oktapodi
1 NominationShort Film (Animated) - Emud Mokhberi and Thierry Marchand
P
The Pig
1 NominationShort Film (Live Action) - The Pig
Presto
1 NominationShort Film (Animated) - Doug Sweetland
R
Rachel Getting Married
1 NominationActress in a Leading Role - Anne Hathaway in "Rachel Getting Married"
The Reader
5 Nominations, 1 WinBest Picture - Anthony Minghella, Sydney Pollack, Donna Gigliotti and Redmond Morris, Producers
Cinematography - Chris Menges and Roger Deakins
Writing (Adapted Screenplay) - Screenplay by David Hare
Directing - Stephen Daldry
* Actress in a Leading Role - Kate Winslet in "The Reader"
Revanche
1 NominationForeign Language Film - Austria
Revolutionary Road
3 NominationsCostume Design - Albert Wolsky
Art Direction - Art Direction: Kristi Zea; Set Decoration: Debra Schutt
Actor in a Supporting Role - Michael Shannon in "Revolutionary Road"
S
Slumdog Millionaire
10 Nominations, 8 Wins* Music (Original Score) - A.R. Rahman
* Cinematography - Anthony Dod Mantle
* Film Editing - Chris Dickens
* Best Picture - Christian Colson, Producer
* Directing - Danny Boyle
* Sound Mixing - Ian Tapp, Richard Pryke and Resul Pookutty
* Music (Original Song) - Jai Ho in "Slumdog Millionaire" Music by A.R. Rahman; Lyric by Gulzar
* Writing (Adapted Screenplay) - Screenplay by Simon Beaufoy
Sound Editing - Glenn Freemantle and Tom Sayers
Music (Original Song) - O Saya in "Slumdog Millionaire" Music and Lyric by A.R. Rahman and Maya Arulpragasam
Smile Pinki
1 Win, 1 Nomination* Documentary (Short Subject) - Megan Mylan
Spielzeugland (Toyland)
1 Win, 1 Nomination* Short Film (Live Action) - Jochen Alexander Freydank
T
This Way Up
1 NominationShort Film (Animated) - Alan Smith and Adam Foulkes
Tropic Thunder
1 NominationActor in a Supporting Role - Robert Downey Jr. in "Tropic Thunder"
Trouble the Water
1 NominationDocumentary (Feature) - Tia Lessin and Carl Deal
V
Vicky Cristina Barcelona
1 Win, 1 Nomination* Actress in a Supporting Role - Penélope Cruz in "Vicky Cristina Barcelona"
The Visitor
1 NominationActor in a Leading Role - Richard Jenkins in "The Visitor"
W
WALL-E
6 Nominations, 1 Win* Animated Feature Film - Andrew Stanton
Sound Editing - Ben Burtt and Matthew Wood
Music (Original Song) - Down To Earth in "WALL-E" Music by Peter Gabriel and Thomas Newman; Lyric by Peter Gabriel
Writing (Original Screenplay) - Screenplay by Andrew Stanton, Jim Reardon; Original story by Andrew Stanton, Pete Docter
Music (Original Score) - Thomas Newman
Sound Mixing - Tom Myers, Michael Semanick and Ben Burtt
Waltz with Bashir
1 NominationForeign Language Film - Israel
Wanted
2 NominationsSound Mixing - Wanted
Sound Editing - Wylie Stateman
The Witness - From the Balcony of Room 306
1 NominationDocumentary (Short Subject) - Adam Pertofsky and Margaret Hyde
The Wrestler
2 NominationsActress in a Supporting Role - Marisa Tomei in "The Wrestler"
Actor in a Leading Role - Mickey Rourke in "The Wrestler"