02/02/2009

Slumdog Millionaire [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Danny Boyle
film profile] added another prize to its bulging awards kitty with Danny Boyle winning Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures at the prestigious Directors Guild of America (DGA) awards. Ari Folman won Outstanding Achievement in Documentary for Waltz with Bashir [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile].

However, Slumdog missed out at the annual London Evening Standard Film Awards with Steve McQueen’s Hunger [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Laura Hastings-Smith Rob…
interview: Steve McQueen
film profile] winning Best Film and Stephen Daldry winning Best Director for The Reader [+see also:
trailer
film profile]. Much awarded Kate Winslet too lost out to compatriot Tilda Swinton, who won Best Actress for Julia [+see also:
trailer
film profile]. The Best Actor Prize was jointly awarded to Michael Sheen for Frost/Nixon and Irish actor Pat Shortt for Garage [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Ed Guiney
interview: Jean-François Deveau
interview: Lenny Abrahamson
film profile].

Director Joanna Hogg won the Most Promising Newcomer award for Unrelated [+see also:
trailer
film profile] while Mike Leigh took home the Alexander Walker Special Award for his contribution to British cinema. Sally Hawkins won the Peter Sellers award for comedy for her turn in Leigh’s Happy-Go-Lucky [+see also:
trailer
film profile] and Martin McDonagh won Best Screenplay for In Bruges [+see also:
trailer
film profile]. Slumdog’s sole success came when production designer Mark Digby took home the Technical Achievement award.

Evening Standard critic Derek Malcolm said, “This year we have really seen the British film industry come of age. We are seeing British films triumphing over big-budget Hollywood epics.”

“The winners of reflect the huge talent and diversity that we have in this country and the judges were delighted to have the opportunity to honour incredible quality produced both in the bigger budget films and the smaller independent productions this year,” he added.