Tonight, is the Academy Awards and among those nominated for Best Picture is a film that features Brad Pitt, one that features Leonardo DiCaprio, and one that features Sean Penn. There is a film that chronicles the exchange between a talk show host and a disgraced U.S. President. And then, there is Slumdog Millionaire.
More than any of the other films, Slumdog Millionaire has generated a ton of Oscar buzz. Although many mistake it for a Bollywood film because of its Indian background, it is actually a British film. It was written by Simon Beaufov and directed Danny Boyle. It was adapted from the novel “Q & A,” written by Vikas Swarup.
The film tells the story of a young many from the slums of Mumbai (formerly Bombay) named Jamal. Jamal gets to appear on the Indian version of “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?” When he is very successful, official begin to think he has cheated somehow until he explains how he knew all the answers.
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Slumdog Millionaire debuted at the Telluride Film Festival and then was shown at the Toronto International Film Festival. It saw a limited release in the U.S. in November 2008 before being released nationwide on January 23, 2009.
So far, Slumdog Millionaire has taken home a score of awards. It won five Critics’ Choice Awards. It took home the Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture (Drama), Best Director, Best Original Score, and Best Screenplay. It took won seven BAFTA awards (the British equivalent of the Oscars). It has also won smaller awards including a Writers Guild of America award, the People’s Choice award at the Toronto International Film Festival, a Screen Actors Guild award for acting, six Phoenix Film Critics Society awards, a New York Film Critics award, a Los Angeles Film Critics Association award, and the Audience Choice Award at the Chicago International Film Festival.
Slumdog Millionaire has been nominated for ten Oscars – Best Achievement in Cinematography, Best Achievement in Directing, Best Achievement in Editing, Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Score, Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Song, Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Song, Best Achievement in Sound, Best Achievement in Sound Editing, Best Motion Picture of the Year, and Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published. Oddly enough, there were no acting nominations for the film.
I’ve seen Slumdog Millionaire and while there are parts of it that are not pretty, it is an incredible film that deserves all the accolades it receives. Have you seen it yet?