Slumdog Millionaire is the critics choice
- 00:01:55
- ITN
Slumdog Millionaire is the critics choice
Slumdog Millionaire has solidified its place as an Oscar frontrunner after scooping five Critics' Choice Awards. The movie, set in Mumbai, won the best picture award while Danny Boyle picked up the best director nod and Simon Beaufoy was awarded as best writer. Dev Patel, who plays lead character Jamal Malik was hailed as best young actor. Indian musician AR Rahman, named best composer, declared, "This is for India!" as he accepted his award. The movie charts the life of Jamal, a young teenager living in the Indian slums. Jamal attempts to escape the grinding poverty by becoming a millionaire in the Indian equivalent of television game show Who Wants To Be A Millionaire. The Critics' Choice Awards, organised by the Broadcast Film Critics Association, are one of the most reliable predictors of Oscar success. In the last ten years, they have foreshadowed both the best picture and director Oscar winners 70 per cent of the time. Their success rate is 60 per cent for best actor and actress. Sean Penn was named best actor for his lead role in Milk, a drama about California's first openly gay elected politician Harvey Milk. "At heart, this is a beauty contest so I had an advantage," Penn joked as he received his award. Kate Winslet, a five-time Oscar nominee, was named best supporting actress for playing a Nazi war criminal in The Reader. She was not at the event.
ITN | January 9, 2009
