It was an amazing night for British film as Slumdog Millionaire won an incredible eight awards at the 81st Academy Awards in Los Angeles, including the coveted Best Picture and Best Director honours, while Kate Winslet won the Best Actress prize from her role in The Reader. Heath Ledger became only the second man to win an acting award posthumously when he won the Best supporting actor for The Dark Knight. Penelope Cruz bagged the supporting actress gong for Vicky Christina Barcelona. But the biggest surprise of the night was Sean Penn's triumph in the best actor category for his role in Milk. Mickey Rourke's powerhouse turn, and previous awards season wins in The Wrestler had been the overwhelming favourite for the Oscar.
