Movies News

The Hurt Locker makes history with six Oscar wins

Mar 8, 2010, 7:55 GMT

(L-R) Screenwriter Mark Boal, US director Kathryn Bigelow and producer Greg Shapiro hold up their Oscars at the 82nd Annual Academy Awards at the Kodak Theater in Hollywood, California, USA 07 March 2010. EPA/PAUL BUCK

Los Angeles - Iraq war drama The Hurt Locker won six Oscars Sunday night, including best picture, and made history when director Kathryn Bigelow became the first woman to win the best director prize in the Oscar's 82-year history.

Bigelow called the victory 'the moment of a lifetime.'

'It's so extraordinary to be in the company of my fellow nominees, such powerful filmmakers, who have inspired me and I have admired, some of them for decades,' she said from the Oscar podium.

The low-budget movie managed to overpower blockbuster Avatar to dominate the night's prizes. But her ex-husband, Avatar director James Cameron, appeared delighted for her victory, jumping to his feet when her name was announced and shouting 'Yes, yes.'

Avatar, the most successful film in history with more than 2 billion dollars in ticket sales, won just three awards for visual effects, art direction and cinematography. According to pundits, The Hurt Locker's ticket sales of just 21 million dollars made it the lowest-grossing best-picture winner ever.

Another winner on Oscar night was the inspirational movie Precious, which racked up three wins, including a supporting actress award for Mo'Nique. 'Sometimes you have to forego doing what's popular in order to do what's right,' she said in accepting her prize.

Jeff Bridges won the best actor prize for his role as a washed up country singer in the film Crazy Heart. He dedicated his prize to his parents. Thank you, Mom and Dad, for turning me on to such a groovy profession,' he said. 'They loved showbiz so much and I feel an extension of them.'

Sandra Bullock was named best actress for The Blind Side, in which she plays a conservative mother who takes in an impoverished black kid and turns him into a football star.

She dedicated her win to her mother who taught her that 'there's no race, no religion, no class system, no color, nothing, no sexual orientation that makes us better than anyone else. We are all deserving of love.'

El Secreto de Sus Ojos (The Secret in their Eyes) from Argentina won for best foreign-language film, while The Cove was named best documentary.

Austrian actor Christoph Waltz won the first Oscar of the night, as he picked up the best supporting actor Academy Award for his performance in World War II drama Inglourious Basterds.

Up won the award for best animated movie, and Crazy Heart won for best original song.

Precious won for best adapted screenplay, while The Hurt Locker won for sound mixing, sound editing and film editing. Avatar's early awards were for art direction and visual effects.

Avatar and The Hurt Locker were the leading contenders for Oscar glory with nine nominations apiece.

The 82nd annual awards started with all 10 nominees for best actor and best actress taking the stage, before hosts Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin were introduced in a spectacular comedic song-and-dance number.

The show's producers attempted to perk up Oscar ratings after years of falling ratings and featured young stars like Zac Efron and Miley Cyrus in the show.

Oscar winners in the major categories:

BEST PICTURE: The Hurt Locker

LEAD ACTOR: Jeff Bridges in Crazy Heart

SUPPORTING ACTOR: Christoph Waltz in Inglourious Basterds

LEAD ACTRESS: Sandra Bullock in The Blind Side

SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Mo'Nique in Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire

ACHIEVEMENT IN DIRECTING: The Hurt Locker - Kathryn Bigelow

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM OF THE YEAR: El Secreto de Sus Ojos - Argentina

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE: Up

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY: Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY: The Hurt Locker

CINEMATOGRAPHY: Avatar

ART DIRECTION: Avatar

COSTUME DESIGN: The Young Victoria

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE: The Cove

ACHIEVEMENT IN FILM EDITING: The Hurt Locker

ORIGINAL SCORE: Up

ORIGINAL SONG: The Weary Kind - Crazy Heart

SOUND EDITING: The Hurt Locker

SOUND MIXING: The Hurt Locker

VISUAL EFFECTS: Avatar

BEST MAKEUP: Star Trek