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81st Academy Awards Winners
Heath Ledger was awarded a posthumous Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. Best Picture honors went to “Slumdog Millionaire” which also took home seven other awards. See all winners
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The Talented Members
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Sci-Tech Awards Ceremony
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Oscar's Shining Moments
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Fellini’s Book of Dreams
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Film Festival Grants
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How It Started
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Heath Ledger was awarded a posthumous Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. Best Picture honors went to “Slumdog Millionaire” which also took home seven other awards. See all winners
INTERVIEW WITH: Danny Boyle and Christian Colson
FILM: “Slumdog Millionaire”
CATEGORY: Achievement in directing / Best motion picture of the year
Q. Hello. Congratulations.
A. Thank you very much.
Q. Earlier, Simon Beaufoy was talking about the role that love plays in this film. How was it for you, taking a different direction from 28 DAYS LATER, directing a film about love?
A. Yeah. It is a love story, but it's like heavily disguised.
Q. It's in there.
A. Danny Boyle: I tried to do a love story once before, and it didn't really work really. I think I have to heavily disguise them really and then got a chance. I mean I loved what I loved about his script, genuinely, is that apparently at the beginning, the spine of the story appears to be the game show. And actually what happens, this is different from the novel, is that of course as you peel back the spine, there's another spine underneath, which is a love story, which is much stronger than a television show. It's much deeper, more profound, more recognizable, more loveable, more timeless than a game show. I love that about it. And it's a chance to get yourself lost in romance. And listen, we all want to get ourselves lost in romance if you get a chance, if we can find a reason to do it and to disguise it at the same time. It's great.
A. Christian Colson: And there was something about the way we made the film, like we were really loved up when we made it. We were like a big family, and it was this huge team. You saw us all on stage tonight together, and that's that makes me really, really happy, you know. We all did it together. It's fantastic, yeah.
Q. Congratulations. I want to ask, you know, when you were making the movie for Warner Independent, obviously shut down, just wondering if you are worried about this kind of film coming together, you know, in the future as studios focus on their franchises, their comic book characters. Would you worry going forward?
A. Danny Boyle: That's a good question. It's really it's an important question as well. Because what's the one of the lovely things about this evening that the Academy has given us is that it's a triumph for this kind of film really, and it is independent minded and it's working against the odds really in a way, and it's very important to keep it. Because you know it was wonderful to see, obviously, you see Heath Ledger's work acknowledged in THE DARK KNIGHT. And it is extraordinary work. But like virtually, I am sure, everybody, Heath, you know, started small as well. He started small films, you know. Everybody does and we've got to protect them.
And the studios, and it's difficult of course, because they are under pressure, the studios have got to protect them as well. Because that's where everybody starts, and they go on. Some people go on to some things and some don't. But that's where everybody begins, in those small independent movies. And you learn the business, you learn your craft, you learn what you are doing, you know. So, it's very, very, very important. And the first film I made was a million pounds it cost. The whole film cost a million pounds. That's where you learn your craft, and you don't know what you are doing, you know. And I think that keeping it that way, you don't know what you are doing half the time and it's really important.
A. Christian Colson: And I hate to be the nomenclature producer in the room, but even the studios will take note that we made this for 7 million pounds. It's going to cross a hundred million dollars in the U.S., Tuesday, Wednesday. That's good business, for them. Huh? It really is, and hopefully, if these mean anything, it means that more of the great scripts that are out there that are done tick all the boxes in terms of stars and all the rest can get made, if the best of those can get made, for that to happen, I'm even prouder of these things, if that's possible.
Q. Many congratulations.
A. Thanks very much.
Q. One of your stars made some headlines over the weekend by suggesting it might be a bit of I think his words were slight romance between your leading actor and your leading lady. It would be amazing case of life imitating art. Is there anything in it?
A. Danny Boyle: Have no idea. I don't know. They are I tell you they have been Dev and Freida have been extraordinary because it's their first film for both of them and they have shouldered the responsibility of fronting the film, of being the badge of the film really. And it takes the weight off us enormously. And it also makes the film expand to a much bigger audience, because a lot of the mainstream audience relates to actors and their experience through actors and part of that is dreaming about romance and all those kind of things, you know. And so, I have no idea and I wouldn't wish to add to it or take away from it. Whatever is true, I have no idea.
A. Christian Colson: Actually, I know. And it's not true.
A. Danny Boyle: Is it not.
A. Christian Colson: I don't think so. Unless they are lying to me, it's not true. But they have grown up in front of our eyes in the last 7 or 8 months, and it's been extraordinary for us to watch that happen. And to see them now be able to stand in front, in rooms like this with such poise and grace and maturity.
A. Danny Boyle: It's lovely for them.
Q. At what point did you decide to bring them over and how daunting was it at this late stage in this awards process finally you get a turn in the limelight again?
A. Danny Boyle: When we got the nominations we were we had been thinking about it, because you want to share it with the people you've made it with and who are responsible with the success of the film, which is primarily the actors really. And what we were very concerned about distorting their lives, all of them really, you know, because they are young. They should stay at school. They are all in school. You know, we put two of them into school.
A. Christian Colson: And award season is long.
A. Danny Boyle: And the award season is long. But then somebody said to us, look, they will put it in their own memory bank in their own way, whatever their lives are, and they all have different lives, and they will find a place for it in their own memory bank and you should not deny them that. They should get the chance to experience it. And it's impossible to imagine what they think of coming here for tonight. You know, you talk to them, but you can't really imagine what it must feel like. It must be extraordinary really. I mean, they are part of the city Mumbai, which is Bollywood, which has its own glamor system. So they're experienced in that sense.
They do watch Hollywood, they do look at Hollywood, and it's lovely to have brought them together, really. And it makes tonight deeply special for us, because we tried to make the film as a family unit, everybody. And to have them all here makes tonight feel like family really, rather than individual, so, we are very pleased.
Q. As you were just saying, you were delighted to have the kids make the trip. Why didn't they come backstage with you and who is in charge of enforcing bedtime tonight?
A. Danny Boyle: God help them, whoever it is. I tell you that. I don't know why they didn't come back stage. I guess they had gone to the Governors' Ball, I guess, or the party I suppose.
A. Christian Colson: Or to bed.
A. Danny Boyle: No. I don't think they have gone to bed. They were very Tanvi and Tanay, who play the middle Latika and middle Jamal were very full of tears on stage. They were overwhelmed by it. They were really, really crying and crying. It was beautiful watching them and very touching and everything like that. There's this expression, this amazing British poet called W.H. Auden, he talks about Americans putting juke boxes it's to do with when America was trying to travel to the moon. It's really interesting because of course India is now going to the moon. This is the plan. And he talks in his poem about putting juke boxes on the moon.
Soon you will be putting juke boxes on the moon. I love that expression, and that's what tonight feels like. Just amazing like that. The bringing together of things that are just so unlikely and yet wonderful and about entertainment and pleasure and exploring things and changing things.
Q. Love the numbers.
A. Hi.
Q. Hello?
A. Congratulations.
A. Thank you very much.
Q. Earlier, Simon Beaufoy was talking about the role that love plays in this film. How was it from you taking a different direction from 20 days later, directing a film about love?
A. Yeah, it is a love story, but it's like heavily disguised.
Q. It's in there.
A. I tried to do a love story once before, and it didn't really work really. I think I have to heavily disguise them really and then got a chance. I mean I loved what I loved about his script, genuinely, is that apparently at the beginning, the spine of the story appears to be the game show, and actually what happens, this is different from the novel, is that of course as you peel back the spine, there's another spine underneath, which is a love story, which is much stronger than a telephone vision show. It's much deeper, more profound, more recognizable, more loveable, more timeless than a game show. I love that about it. And it's a chance to get yourself lost in romance. And listen, we all want to get ourselves lost in romance if you get a chance if we can find a reason to do it and to disguise it at the same time. It's great.
A. And they were talking about, uhm, the way we made the film, like we were really loved up when we made it. We were like big family, and, uhm, it was this huge team. You saw us on stage tonight together, and that's that makes me really, really happy, you know. We all did it together. It's fantastic, yeah.
Q. Ryan, in front.
A. Hello Ryan. How you doing?
Q. Good.
A. Excellent.
Q. Congratulations?
A. Thank you. Very good.
Q. I want to ask, you know, when you were making the movie, more independent, obviously shut down, just wondering if you are worried about this kind of film coming together, you know, in the future as studios focus on their franchises, their comic book characters. Would you worry going forward?
A. That's a good question. It's really it's an important question as well. Because I mean, what's the one of the lovely things about this evening that the academy has given us is that it's a triumph for this kind of film really and it is independent minded and it's working against the odds really in a way, uhm, and it's very important to keep it because you know it was wonderful to see obviously you see Heath Ledger's work acknowledged in The Dark Knight, and it is extraordinary work, but like virtually I am sure everybody, Heath, you know started small as well. He started small films, you know, everybody does and we got to protect them. And the studios and it's difficult of course because they are underpressure the stud yes have /TKPW T to protect them as well. Because that's where everybody starts, and they go on some people go [on toonto] some things and don't.
And that's where everybody /TKPWEUPBZ in those /SPHAUPL independent movies and learn the business, you learn your craft, you learn what you are doing, you know. So, it's very, very important. And the first was a million pounds it cost, the whole film cost a million pounds that's where you learn your craft and you don't know what you are doing you know, and I am thankful of keeping is that way that you don't know what you are doing half the time and it's really important.
A. And I hate to be the nomenclature producer in the room but even the studios will take note that we made this for 7 million pounds it's going to cost a hundred million dollars in the U.S., Tuesday, Wednesday. That's good business. For them. Huh. It really S and, uhm, hopefully, if these mean anything, it means that more of the great scripts that are out there that done tickle the boxes in terms of stars and all the rest can get made if the best of those can get made, for that to happen I'm even proud of these things if that's /POZable.
Q. Many congratulations?
A. Thanks very much.
Q. One of your stars in your made some headlines of the weekend by suggesting it might be a bit of I think his words were slight very man's between your being an act tore and your leading lady. It would be amazing case of life imitating art. Is there anything in it?
A. Have no idea. I don't know. They are, uhm, I tell you they have been, uhm, /TKEFPB freed da have been extraordinary because it's their first film for both of them and they have /SHULD /TKERD the responsibility of fronting the film, you know, of being the badge of the film really and it takes the weight of us enormously, and it also makes the film expands to a much bigger audience because a lot of the mainstream audience relates to actors and their experience through actors and part the of that is dreaming about romance and all those kind of things, you know. And so, I have no idea and I wouldn't wish to add to it or take away from it, whatever is true, I have no idea.
A. Actually, I know. And it's not true.
A. Is it not.
A. I don't think so. Unless they are lying to me, it's not true. But I have grown up in front of our eyes in the last 7 or /#5*9 8 months and it's been extraordinary for us to watch that happen, and to see them now, you know, be able to stand in front, in rooms like this with such /POEUZ and Grays and maturity, and careers.
A. It's lovely for them.
A.
Q.
A. BBC hello BBC.
Q. The hue jack man, the star of show with those kids at what point did you decide to bring them over and late stage in this process get there in the lime light again?
A. When we got the nominations we were we we have been thinking about it because you want to share it with the people you've made it with and who are responsible with the success of the film which is primarily the actors, really and what we were very concerned about distorting their lives, all of them really, you know, because they are young they should stay at school. They are all in school. You know, we have put two of them into school.
Q.
A. And award season is long.
A. And award season is long. But then somebody said to us, look, they will put it in their own memory bank in their own way whatever their lives are and they all have different lives and they will find a place for it in their own memory bank and you should not deny them that. They should get the chance to experience it. And it's impossible to imagine what they think of coming here for tonight. You /TPHOEU, you talk to them, but you can't really imagine what it must feel like it must be extraordinary really.
I mean, they are part of the city mum by which is /PWOLly wood, has their own /TKPWHRAPL more system so they experience that in some sense. They do watch Hollywood they do look at Hollywood, and it's lovely to have brought them together, really, and it makes tonight deeply special for us because we tried to make the film as a family unit, everybody, and to have them all here /PHAEUBGDZ it feel tonight /PHAEUBGDZ it feel like family really rather than individual, so, we are very pleased.
Q. As you were just saying you were delighted to have the kids make the trip. Why didn't they come back stage with you and who is in charge of enforcing bedtime tonight?
A. God help them whoever it is. I tell you that. I don't know why they didn't come back stage I guess they had gone to the governors ball I guess or the party I suppose.
Q.
A. Or to bed.
A. No, I don't think they have gone to bed. They were very /TAPL /SRAOE and /TA nay, who play the middle /PHAZ /KA and middle /SKWRA mall were very full of tears on stage they were overwhelmed by T they were really really crying and crying, it was beautiful watching them and very touching and /EUFRG like that. Does this expression does this amazing /POE et British poet et called WJ Jordan. He talks about Americans put in /SKWRAOUT box soon you will be putting and it's to do when America was trying to travel to the moon.
It's really interesting because of course India is now going to the moon. This is the plan. And he talks to this /POEPL about /PAOUTing /SKWRAOUBG boxes on the moon. Soon you will be putting /SKWRAOUBG boxes on the moon. I love that expression and that's what tonight feels like just amaidsing like that. The bringing together of things that are just so unlikely and yet /WUFPL and /EBTSer /TAEUPBment and pleasure and exploring things and changing things. Ran /TA /PHA /SOEZ.
A. And he loves you.
A. 95.
A. Another /WURPB I did millions (Listen to Audio.).
Q. Congratulations to you both?
A. Where are you.
Q. Right here?
A. All right.
[START HERE]
Q. Danny, I spoke to you once a few months ago about SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE, and you told me you believe that every film should be imperfect.
A. Yes.
Q. After all these accolades, do you still feel that way about your own film?
A. Absolutely. I said in the in my own acceptance speech, I said that I'd forgotten to name in the credits the choreographer, and I only found out about it he said to me I think he was feeling a bit sheepish. We left this guy Longinus or Longi, but we left him off the credits. And that is imperfection walking and talking, and you have to hold your hand up and acknowledge how shameful that is to leave a guy like that who made such a contribution to the film. You know, he choreographed the dance at the end of the film, and he taught Dev Patel how to dance, which ended up being a much bigger task than choreographing a dance. And he made an amazing contribution to the film, and we forgot to credit him and it's my fault. And, you know, you just think so this imperfection is there.
Q. Can I just say, I don't want to embarrass Danny, and this would embarrass him, but it's a measure of the man that in his Oscar acceptance speech, the last thing he addresses is forgetting someone off the credits, and I think that is awesome.
A. Anyway, so it's a big apology to Longinus if you can report it as well, in case he doesn't see it. My edit done and my acceptance speech.
Q. You've with your other movies like Trainspotting, Shallow Grave, 28 Days Later, you've received a lot of accolades with other associations and societies. How does it feel to be recognized with SLUMDOG by the Academy? What is the feeling you have now?
A. Just just extraordinary sense which has grown and culminated tonight of these extraordinary communities Bollywood, who gave us virtually all our cast and crew, and Hollywood, which has been responsible for the elevation of the film, culminating tonight. And being kind of [unintelligible] really trapped in the middle; it's a lovely trapped thing, it's not a bad trapped thing. You know, watching this extraordinary event that takes place and you can see it's going to happen more and more. There's also some people going to work there. These things are going to come together. The world is shrinking a bit, in a wonderful way, and it will benefit from it. Because in culture, fusion is a wonderful thing. And I felt it most in the music working with that guy, ARA man, and the sense of fusion, and you progress through fusion of things melding together is wonderful, really.
Q. And I think I think it's a measure of how much America has changed and is changing just before our eyes in the last few months or so. I mean, I think this country has changed from the moment we started making the film and the moment it was released here on November the 5th or whatever it was. This country has changed and it feels ready to embrace, as audiences have done, not just the Academy, a movie like ours.
I think that's really cool. I think America is cool again, certainly for the first time in my lifetime. I don't know about your lifetime, but certainly for the first time in my lifetime America is cool again, not because of this, but I think this is a symptom of how it's beginning to embrace a more globalized feel of the world. I hope so anyway.
Q. Toronto.
A. Right. Before you ask a question, got to say thank you to Toronto. Because Toronto started us off, really. Although, we started the film at the Telluride and Toronto Film Festival. And the Toronto Film Festival gave us this people's prize, which is an extraordinary start, you know, a kickoff, a wonderful and they also gave us $15,000 and we put the $15,000 in the fund for educating the kids. And now we have got plenty of money, so but then we didn't have a lot of money at all. So it was very, very welcome, and I want people in Toronto know it went to a really good place. So thank you, Toronto.
A. Good, I will tell them. So I think it rocks the Casbah that your film won eight Oscars tonight including best picture, but also THE READER won best actress and MILK won best actor. Three films that say something about the world. They are not just entertainments, but they are entertaining. And I'm curious, if you can talk about the power of cinema to actually talk to the world about something important, including and especially your own film.
A. Yeah, I think I think somebody sent me, a mate of mine sent me this quote from Plato, the great Greek philosopher. And, of course, the Greeks worked on everything before us. We are just repeating endlessly in their wake, and it was this quote he said, "Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle." And that's such a wonderful I just think that just gets, you know, more wonderful, it just gets it really. And I think the kind of films that we have been talking about have that heart, really, you know, which is a lot of people are fighting hard battles and especially now, you know, and we have got to kind of try and use entertainment to entertain them and to sympathize and encourage them, you know, and inspire them really, yeah.
Q. How you doing? We have been supporting all through the award season. You know how I supported your movie?
A. Yeah.
Q. Now that you've gone through this process, you know, you've been flirting with Hollywood for years, but always went back to London. Now, with this movie, you've gone through the full process of how someone competes goes through all these awards, does all the interviews, the the press junkets and gets to the finishing line with the Oscar in his hand. Tell me a little bit about this road, this winding road which somebody has to go with to win an Oscar. It's not that easy.
A. Can I start first, because I think I haven't worked with Danny before, but I I am familiar with his other work, and Danny would have done this for a film that wasn't in awards contention. He would have done it for any film that was released in January, February, March, or April. It just so happened that this was how ours was positioned, but my understanding is that Danny has done as well in every single movie he's ever made; not for one of these things but to get people to go out and see it just to preface that.
A. Yeah, you try to. I mean, it's hard work, and, I mean, it's a lot easier when you have a team like Fox Searchlight working for you, and we have had [unintelligble] in Europe as well. And the people, like, there's also some people that you are not interested in their names Angler and James and people like that
A. And Sonia, where is she?
A. They are all there. Yeah. And they they sent up solid work for you and you do the work, and they I personally think you find out a lot about the film by doing this work weirdly. It is a very weird thing to admit. It's very true. You start to find out about the film by talking to publicists constantly about the film, and it's very important. You got to kind of if you choose not to work for huge stars that do that work for you, and then it's your responsibility you've got to do it and it's a privilege to do it.
Q. What I meant by how it's structured, do you know all the it's it's it's almost a theory by itself, you know, how they build up a campaign for an award. For you to be part of it, how did that feel?
A. I think they build up a campaign to raise the awareness of the film and to keep the film in the theaters. I mean, obviously, it's lovely if you get in the season and start to do well in the season, you cannot guarantee that. There's no way you can guarantee that. But it is an essential tool by which films like this can be raised up, can be inflated and so that people start to see them who wouldn't normally see them, you know. So it's a tribute to them that are they are plotting their next campaign.
Q. We are talking about you guys. Do you believe in miracles today, Danny?
A. Sorry.
Q. Stand be here believing in miracles?
A. I've always believed in miracles, actually. Einstein says I am doing a lot of quote tonight. Einstein says, "There are two ways to live your life; one is to believe nothing is a miracle and one to believe that everything is a miracle. That's a great quote.
A. That's a producer/director relationship. It's a true sentence.
A. And the last question, can I just say I did forget somebody in my speech tonight. I forgot my agent, Robert Newman, and please, if you are in the business, if there's anybody in the business, please report this. He's been absolutely amazing, for me personally. And I I never write a speech or anything like that. I think you should always trust the moment, experience the trust the moment. And I forgot him and I apologize to him, and it's been a huge help on getting this.
A. He was a real help for the film.
Q. Just want to say congratulations, first of all, for this success tonight.
A. Please give a big writeup to Robert Newman in variety.
Q. We will. I was actually at the Telluride Film Festival, and I was sitting right behind you at the premier.
A. Really?
Q. You were squirming in your seat. I don't know if it was apprehension.
A. Do you know why? The soundtrack was played double; it distorted all the way through, and all I could think, should I stop it, should I stop it and start again? I thought I can't, I can't. And every time I have distorted, because for some reason there was some loop on the sound and it played twice. You know, it played simultaneously twice. That is why I was squirming.
Q. And I know you've touched upon it many times but if you could talk briefly about the journey this film has gone on, going from then from Telluride to now to winning best picture at the Oscars, it must be unbelievable.
A. Big shout to Telluride and Toronto, the two film festivals that got us going. You sometimes forget how important film festivals are. Very, very special, because they let an audience at it, at your film, to kind of decide it for you. They were really, really special, the huge campaign that we started, and we were just growing it very, very small to begin with and kept going and going and on. And Fox Searchlight depended on word of, mouth which always is the one thing you cannot buy.
A. They have great word of mouth too.
A. And you know, made people aware of it, and made people aware they can love it if they want to. And what we benefitted from is the people do have taken it to their hearts, and people stop you in the lift; you bump into strangers who are not in the entertainment business and they say they saw your film and they grip you in a way that's a bit frightening. But, you know, obviously, the film has spoken to them, and obviously it's lovely.
Q. Thank you so much. And congratulations.
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