Oscar Success For ‘Slumdog Millionaire’

• February 24th, 2009
• Posted by Daniel Challis

The European Union has acknowledged the “unprecedented success” British film Slumdog Millionaire received at this year’s 81st Academy Awards in Hollywood.

The film — which had EU funding support — was awarded eight Oscars on Sunday night (22.2.09), including ‘Best Picture’ and ‘Best Director’ for Danny Boyle…

EU SUPPORT

The British film was co-funded under the EU’s film support programme Media.

It received €830,000 (A$1.6million, dcerates.com, 24.2.09) from the Media programme for distribution in 2008 and 2009.

The total budget of the film was estimated to be €11 million.

The EU took some credit where credit was due, for the film’s success.

“The scale of the triumph, be it eight Oscars or its popularity with audiences worldwide, shows that the support by the EU’s Media programme is paying,” Media Commissioner Viviane Reding said.

Ms Reding said the Media programme made sure films made in the EU were competitive on the world stage.

“The success of the film shows that Media funding help’s Europe’s cinema spread its cultural diversity around the world,” she said.

OSCARS FOR SLUMDOG

• Best Picture
• Best Director (Danny Boyle)
• Best adapted screenplay
• Best Original score
• Best original song
• Cinematography
• Film Editing
• Sound Mixing

BEST PICTURE CELEBRATIONS

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A RAGS TO RICHES TALE

Slumdog Millionaire is the amazing tale of Jamal; a poor, bright-eyed youth from the slums of Mumbai.

Jamal retraces the steps of his life as a young man while on the Indian version of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire.

The story begins when Jamal and his brother Salim see their whole world turn upside-down when their mother is viciously killed during a riot. Alone, they turn to the streets, becoming ‘slumdogs’.

A ray of sunshine comes into their lives when they befriend another orphan, the feisty young girl Latika, and soon the three are inseparable.

Adventure follows as the trio learns to survive the cutthroat life of contemporary India.

KATE MAKES BRITS PROUD

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Kate Winslet was another to make Britain proud, winning ‘Best Actress’ for her role in The Reader.

It was the 33-year-old’s sixth Oscar nomination and her first ever win.

An emotional Winslet was humbled after finally fulfilling a childhood dream.

“I feel very fortunate to have made it all the way from there to here,” she said.

Winslet received her first ever Oscar nomination in 1996 for supporting actress in the drama Sense and Sensibility.

Reference:

European Union, ‘And the Oscar goes to…: Unprecedented success for EU-supported film “Slumdog Millionaire”’ (23.2.09), http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=MEMO/09/81&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=en, (24.2.09).

The Oscars official website, http://oscar.com/oscarnight/winners/, (24.2.09).

BBC News, ‘Winslet reveals early Oscar dream’ (23.2.09), http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/oscars/7905043.stm, (24.2.09).

Picture:

www.mediachannel.org

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