The 81st Academy Award nominations were announced on January 22, 2009 and the awards were presented on February 22, 2009. The Curious Case of Benjamin received the most nominations with thirteen and Slumdog Millionaire followed with ten nominations. Heath Ledger won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor posthumously after passing away on January 22, 2008.
Best Picture:
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Frost/Nixon
Milk
The Reader
WINNER: Slumdog Millionaire
Best Director:
WINNER: Danny Boyle—Slumdog Millionaire
David Fincher—The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Ron Howard—Frost/Nixon
Gus Van Sant—Milk
Stephen Daldry—The Reader
Best Actor:
Richard Jenkins—The Visitor
Frank Langella—Frost/Nixon
WINNER: Sean Penn—Milk
Brad Pitt—The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Mickey Rourke—The Wrester
Best Actress:
Anne Hathaway—Rachel Getting Married
Angelina Jolie—Changeling
Melissa Leo—Frozen River
Meryl Streep—Doubt
WINNER: Kate Winslet—The Reader
Best Supporting Actor:
Josh Brolin—Milk
Robert Downey Jr.—Tropic Thunder
Philip Seymour Hoffman—Doubt
WINNER: Heath Ledger—The Dark Knight
Michael Shannon—Revolutionary Road
Best Supporting Actress:
Amy Adams—Doubt
WINNER: Penelope Cruz—Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Viola Davis—Doubt
Taraji P. Henson—The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Marisa Tomei—The Wrestler
Best Original Screenplay:
Frozen River
Happy-Go-Lucky
In Bruges
WINNER: Milk
WALL-E
Best Adapted Screenplay:
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Doubt
Frost/Nixon
The Reader
WINNER: Slumdog Millionaire
Best Animated Feature:
Bolt
Kung Fu Panda
WINNER: WALL-E
Best Foreign Language Film:
The Baader Meinhof Complex
The Class
WINNER: Departures
Revanche
Waltz with Bashir
Best Documentary Feature:
The Betrayal
Encounters at the End of the World
The Garden
WINNER: Man on Wire
Trouble the Water
Best Documentary Short Subject:
The Conscience of Nhem En—Steven Okazaki
The Final Inch
WINNER: Smile Pinki
The Witness: From the Balcony of Room 306
Best Live Action Short Film:
Lavatory
WINNER: La Maison en Petits Cubes
Oktapodi
Presto
This Way Up
Best Original Score:
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Defiance
Milk
WINNER: Slumdog Millionaire
WALL-E
Best Original Song:
“Down to Earth”—WALL-E
WINNER: “Jai Ho”—Slumdog Millionaire
“O Saya”—Slumdog Millionaire
Best Sound Editing:
WINNER: The Dark Knight
Iron Man
Slumdog Millionaire
WALL-E
Wanted
Best Sound Mixing:
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
WINNER: Slumdog Millionaire
WALL-E
Wanted
Best Art Direction:
Changeling
WINNER: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
The Duchess
Revolutionary Road
Best Cinematography:
Changeling
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
The Reader
WINNER: Slumdog Millionaire
Best Makeup:
WINNER: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
Hellboy II: The Golden Army
Best Costume Design:
Australia
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
WINNER: The Duchess
Milk
Revolutionary Road
Best Film Editing:
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
Frost/Nixon
Milk
WINNER: Slumdog Millionaire
Best Visual Effects:
WINNER: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
Iron Man
Preceded By:
The 80th Academy Award Nominations
Followed By:
