Performance by an actor in a leading role
- Richard Jenkins in “The Visitor” (Overture Films)
- Frank Langella in “Frost/Nixon” (Universal)
- Sean Penn in “Milk” (Focus Features)
- Brad Pitt in “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.)
- Mickey Rourke in “The Wrestler” (Fox Searchlight)
Performance by an actor in a supporting role
- Josh Brolin in “Milk” (Focus Features)
- Robert Downey Jr. in “Tropic Thunder” (DreamWorks, Distributed by DreamWorks/Paramount)
- Philip Seymour Hoffman in “Doubt” (Miramax)
- Heath Ledger in “The Dark Knight” (Warner Bros.)
- Michael Shannon in “Revolutionary Road” (DreamWorks, Distributed by Paramount Vantage)
Performance by an actress in a leading role
- Anne Hathaway in “Rachel Getting Married” (Sony Pictures Classics)
- Angelina Jolie in “Changeling” (Universal)
- Melissa Leo in “Frozen River” (Sony Pictures Classics)
- Meryl Streep in “Doubt” (Miramax)
- Kate Winslet in “The Reader” (The Weinstein Company)
Performance by an actress in a supporting role
- Amy Adams in “Doubt” (Miramax)
- Penélope Cruz in “Vicky Cristina Barcelona” (The Weinstein Company)
- Viola Davis in “Doubt” (Miramax)
- Taraji P. Henson in “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.)
- Marisa Tomei in “The Wrestler” (Fox Searchlight)
Best animated feature film of the year
-
“Bolt” (Walt Disney) Chris Williams and Byron Howard -
“Kung Fu Panda” (DreamWorks Animation, Distributed by Paramount) John Stevenson and Mark Osborne -
“WALL-E” (Walt Disney) Andrew Stanton
Achievement in art direction
-
“Changeling” (Universal) Art Direction: James J. Murakami
Set Decoration: Gary Fettis -
“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.) Art Direction: Donald Graham Burt
Set Decoration: Victor J. Zolfo -
“The Dark Knight” (Warner Bros.) Art Direction: Nathan Crowley
Set Decoration: Peter Lando -
“The Duchess” (Paramount Vantage, Pathé and BBC Films) Art Direction: Michael Carlin
Set Decoration: Rebecca Alleway -
“Revolutionary Road” (DreamWorks, Distributed by Paramount Vantage) Art Direction: Kristi Zea
Set Decoration: Debra Schutt
Achievement in cinematography
-
“Changeling” (Universal) Tom Stern -
“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.) Claudio Miranda -
“The Dark Knight” (Warner Bros.) Wally Pfister -
“The Reader” (The Weinstein Company) Chris Menges and Roger Deakins -
“Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight) Anthony Dod Mantle
Achievement in costume design
-
“Australia” (20th Century Fox) Catherine Martin -
“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.) Jacqueline West -
“The Duchess” (Paramount Vantage, Pathé and BBC Films) Michael O’Connor -
“Milk” (Focus Features) Danny Glicker -
“Revolutionary Road” (DreamWorks, Distributed by Paramount Vantage) Albert Wolsky
Achievement in directing
-
“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.) David Fincher -
“Frost/Nixon” (Universal) Ron Howard -
“Milk” (Focus Features) Gus Van Sant -
“The Reader” (The Weinstein Company) Stephen Daldry -
“Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight) Danny Boyle
Best documentary feature
-
“The Betrayal (Nerakhoon)” (Cinema Guild)
A Pandinlao Films ProductionEllen Kuras and Thavisouk Phrasavath -
“Encounters at the End of the World” (THINKFilm and Image Entertainment)
A Creative Differences ProductionWerner Herzog and Henry Kaiser -
“The Garden”
A Black Valley Films ProductionScott Hamilton Kennedy -
“Man on Wire” (Magnolia Pictures)
A Wall to Wall ProductionJames Marsh and Simon Chinn -
“Trouble the Water” (Zeitgeist Films)
An Elsewhere Films ProductionTia Lessin and Carl Deal
Best documentary short subject
-
“The Conscience of Nhem En”
A Farallon Films ProductionSteven Okazaki -
“The Final Inch”
A Vermilion Films ProductionIrene Taylor Brodsky and Tom Grant -
“Smile Pinki”
A Principe ProductionMegan Mylan -
“The Witness – From the Balcony of Room 306”
A Rock Paper Scissors ProductionAdam Pertofsky and Margaret Hyde
Achievement in film editing
-
“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.) Kirk Baxter and Angus Wall -
“The Dark Knight” (Warner Bros.) Lee Smith -
“Frost/Nixon” (Universal) Mike Hill and Dan Hanley -
“Milk” (Focus Features) Elliot Graham -
“Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight) Chris Dickens
Best foreign language film of the year
- “The Baader Meinhof Complex” A Constantin Film Production – Germany
- “The Class” (Sony Pictures Classics) A Haut et Court Production – France
- “Departures” (Regent Releasing) A Departures Film Partners Production – Japan
- “Revanche” (Janus Films) A Prisma Film/Fernseh Production – Austria
- “Waltz with Bashir” (Sony Pictures Classics) A Bridgit Folman Film Gang Production – Israel
Achievement in makeup
-
“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.) Greg Cannom -
“The Dark Knight” (Warner Bros.) John Caglione, Jr. and Conor O’Sullivan -
“Hellboy II: The Golden Army” (Universal) Mike Elizalde and Thom Floutz
Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original score)
-
“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.) Alexandre Desplat -
“Defiance” (Paramount Vantage) James Newton Howard -
“Milk” (Focus Features) Danny Elfman -
“Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight) A.R. Rahman -
“WALL-E” (Walt Disney) Thomas Newman
Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original song)
-
“Down to Earth” from “WALL-E” (Walt Disney) Music by Peter Gabriel and Thomas Newman
Lyric by Peter Gabriel -
“Jai Ho” from “Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight) Music by A.R. Rahman
Lyric by Gulzar -
“O Saya” from “Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight) Music and Lyric by A.R. Rahman and Maya Arulpragasam
Best motion picture of the year
-
“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.)
A Kennedy/Marshall ProductionKathleen Kennedy, Frank Marshall and Ceán Chaffin, Producers -
“Frost/Nixon” (Universal)
A Universal Pictures, Imagine Entertainment and Working Title ProductionBrian Grazer, Ron Howard and Eric Fellner, Producers -
“Milk” (Focus Features)
A Groundswell and Jinks/Cohen Company ProductionDan Jinks and Bruce Cohen, Producers -
“The Reader” (The Weinstein Company)
A Mirage Enterprises and Neunte Babelsberg Film GmbH ProductionNominees to be determined -
“Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight)
A Celador Films ProductionChristian Colson, Producer
Best animated short film
-
“La Maison en Petits Cubes”
A Robot Communications ProductionKunio Kato -
“Lavatory – Lovestory”
A Melnitsa Animation Studio and CTB Film Company ProductionKonstantin Bronzit -
“Oktapodi” (Talantis Films)
A Gobelins, L’école de l’image ProductionEmud Mokhberi and Thierry Marchand -
“Presto” (Walt Disney)
A Pixar Animation Studios ProductionDoug Sweetland -
“This Way Up”
A Nexus ProductionAlan Smith and Adam Foulkes
Best live action short film
-
“Auf der Strecke (On the Line)” (Hamburg Shortfilmagency)
An Academy of Media Arts Cologne ProductionReto Caffi -
“Manon on the Asphalt” (La Luna Productions)
A La Luna ProductionElizabeth Marre and Olivier Pont -
“New Boy” (Network Ireland Television)
A Zanzibar Films ProductionSteph Green and Tamara Anghie -
“The Pig”
An M & M ProductionTivi Magnusson and Dorte Høgh -
“Spielzeugland (Toyland)”
A Mephisto Film ProductionJochen Alexander Freydank
Achievement in sound editing
-
“The Dark Knight” (Warner Bros.) Richard King -
“Iron Man” (Paramount and Marvel Entertainment) Frank Eulner and Christopher Boyes -
“Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight) Tom Sayers -
“WALL-E” (Walt Disney) Ben Burtt and Matthew Wood -
“Wanted” (Universal) Wylie Stateman
Achievement in sound mixing
-
“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.) David Parker, Michael Semanick, Ren Klyce and Mark Weingarten -
“The Dark Knight” (Warner Bros.) Lora Hirschberg, Gary Rizzo and Ed Novick -
“Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight) Ian Tapp, Richard Pryke and Resul Pookutty -
“WALL-E” (Walt Disney) Tom Myers, Michael Semanick and Ben Burtt -
“Wanted” (Universal) Chris Jenkins, Frank A. Montaño and Petr Forejt
Achievement in visual effects
-
“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.) Eric Barba, Steve Preeg, Burt Dalton and Craig Barron -
“The Dark Knight” (Warner Bros.) Nick Davis, Chris Corbould, Tim Webber and Paul Franklin -
“Iron Man” (Paramount and Marvel Entertainment) John Nelson, Ben Snow, Dan Sudick and Shane Mahan
Adapted screenplay
-
“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.) Screenplay by Eric Roth
Screen story by Eric Roth and Robin Swicord -
“Doubt” (Miramax) Written by John Patrick Shanley -
“Frost/Nixon” (Universal) Screenplay by Peter Morgan -
“The Reader” (The Weinstein Company) Screenplay by David Hare -
“Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight) Screenplay by Simon Beaufoy
Original screenplay
-
“Frozen River” (Sony Pictures Classics) Written by Courtney Hunt -
“Happy-Go-Lucky” (Miramax) Written by Mike Leigh -
“In Bruges” (Focus Features) Written by Martin McDonagh -
“Milk” (Focus Features) Written by Dustin Lance Black -
“WALL-E” (Walt Disney) Screenplay by Andrew Stanton, Jim Reardon
Original story by Andrew Stanton, Pete Docter