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81st Academy Awards (2009)
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Oscars 2009 Winners & Nominees

The 81st Academy Awards (2009) took place on February 22, 2009. Slumdog Millionaire won Best Picture and 7 more awards. Every winner and nominee in all 21 categories is below.

All 21 categories Most wins
categories
21
nominations
95
films nominated
39
winners
21
Held on
Best Picture
Slumdog Millionaire
Headline winners

Oscars 2009: The Winners

Slumdog Millionaire won Best Picture against 4 other nominees. Danny Boyle (Best Director), Sean Penn (Best Actor) and Kate Winslet (Best Actress) took the main individual prizes.

Slumdog Millionaire (2008) movie poster Best Picture

Best Picture

Slumdog Millionaire

2008 · Drama, Romance · $378M worldwide

8 wins from 8 nominations at the 81st Academy Awards (2009)

  • Best Cinematography
  • Best Director
  • Best Film Editing
  • Best Original Score
  • Best Original Song
  • Best Sound Mixing
  • Best Adapted Screenplay

In the sprawling slums of Mumbai, Jamal Malik, an 18-year-old, finds himself on the cusp of winning a massive 20 million rupees on the popular game show "Who Wants To Be a Millionaire?". Facing accusations of cheating, Jamal shares the remarkable story of his life, revealing a harrowing journey through poverty, love, and loss. He recounts his experiences growing up in the slums, navigating dangerous situations, and the unwavering bond with his brother and the girl he loves.

About Slumdog Millionaire
Scoreboard

Oscars 2009: Which Films Won the Most

Slumdog Millionaire won 8 awards from 8 nominations. 10 films won at least once, while Frost/Nixon went home empty-handed from 5 nominations. Green is wins, blue is nominations.

  1. Slumdog Millionaire (2008) movie poster
    Slumdog Millionaire 8 / 8
    2008 · Drama, Romance · 8 wins from 8 nominations
  2. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008) movie poster
    The Curious Case of Benjamin Button 3 / 13
    2008 · Drama, Mystery · 3 wins from 13 nominations
  3. Milk (2008) movie poster
    Milk 2 / 8
    2008 · Biography, Drama · 2 wins from 8 nominations
  4. The Dark Knight (2008) movie poster
    The Dark Knight 2 / 8
    2008 · Action, Drama · 2 wins from 8 nominations
  5. The Reader (2008) movie poster
    The Reader 1 / 5
    2008 · Drama, Romance · 1 win from 5 nominations
  6. WALL-E (2008) movie poster
    WALL-E 1 / 5
    2008 · Adventure, Sci-Fi · 1 win from 5 nominations
  7. The Duchess (2008) movie poster
    The Duchess 1 / 2
    2008 · Biography, Drama · 1 win from 2 nominations
  8. Departures (2009) movie poster
    Departures 1 / 1
    2009 · Drama, Comedy · 1 win from 1 nomination
  9. Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008) movie poster
    Vicky Cristina Barcelona 1 / 1
    2008 · Drama, Romance · 1 win from 1 nomination
  10. Taxi to the Dark Side (2008) movie poster
    Taxi to the Dark Side 1 / 1
    2008 · Crime, War · 1 win from 1 nomination
Full results

All 21 Oscars 2009 Categories: Winners & Nominees

21 categories and 95 nominations. The winner of each comes first, on a green row. Search for a film or a person, show only the winners, or jump straight to a category.

21 categories · 95 nominations

Jump to a category
By genre

The Genres Behind the Oscars 2009 Winners

Drama led with 78 nominations across 26 films and won 19. A film with several genres counts for each one.

  1. Drama 19 wins · 78 nominations · 24%
  2. Romance 15 wins · 41 nominations · 37%
  3. Mystery 3 wins · 21 nominations · 14%
  4. Action 2 wins · 19 nominations · 11%
  5. Thriller 2 wins · 17 nominations · 12%
  6. Crime 3 wins · 16 nominations · 19%
  7. Fantasy 3 wins · 15 nominations · 20%
  8. History 1 win · 14 nominations · 7%
  9. Biography 3 wins · 13 nominations · 23%
  10. Adventure 1 win · 12 nominations · 8%
2009 season

How the Rest of the 2009 Awards Season Voted

The other 11 ceremonies of 2009, with the winner of each top prize. Slumdog Millionaire also won the top prize at 5 of them.

All 2009 awards
Earlier years

Previous Oscars Ceremonies

The 6 ceremonies before this one, with the winner of each top prize. The Oscars page has every year back to 1929.

Every Oscars ceremony

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FAQ

Oscars 2009: Questions & Answers

The top prize, the film that won the most, the most-nominated film, the individual winners and the date of the 81st Academy Awards (2009), answered from the results on this page.

Who won Best Picture at the 81st Academy Awards (2009)?

Slumdog Millionaire (2008) won Best Picture. The other nominees were The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Frost/Nixon, Milk and The Reader.

About Slumdog Millionaire

Which film won the most awards at the 81st Academy Awards (2009)?

Slumdog Millionaire (2008) won the most: 8 awards from 8 nominations. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button was next with 3 wins.

Which film had the most nominations at the 81st Academy Awards (2009)?

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008) led with 13 nominations and won 3 of them.

Who won the acting and directing awards at the 81st Academy Awards (2009)?

Best Director: Danny Boyle for Slumdog Millionaire. Best Actor: Sean Penn for Milk. Best Actress: Kate Winslet for The Reader. Best Supporting Actor: Heath Ledger for The Dark Knight. Best Supporting Actress: Penélope Cruz for Vicky Cristina Barcelona.

When was the 81st Academy Awards (2009)?

The 81st Academy Awards (2009) took place on February 22, 2009. The database has 21 categories and 95 nominations for it.