Complete List of Nominations for 81st Academy Awards

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button scores a leading 13 Oscar nominations; Slumdog Millionaire has 10

By EOL Staff Jan 22, 2009 2:05 PMTags
Brad Pitt, The Curious Case of Benjamin ButtonParamount Pictures

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button leads all Academy Award nominees with 13 time-defying nominations. Slumdog Millionaire is next with 10, while The Dark Knight and Milk notched eight apiece. Meryl Streep, up for Best Actress for Doubt, continues her reign as the most-nominated performer in Academy history, with her 15th nod.

The awards will be handed out Feb. 22 at the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles. Here's the complete list of nominees:

Best Motion Picture of the Year

  • The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
  • Frost/Nixon
  • Milk
  • The Reader
  • Slumdog Millionaire

Achievement in Directing

  • David Fincher, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
  • Ron Howard, Frost/Nixon
  • Gus Van Sant, Milk
  • Stephen Daldry, The Reader
  • Danny Boyle, Slumdog Millionaire

Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role

  • Richard Jenkins, The Visitor
  • Frank Langella, Frost/Nixon
  • Sean Penn, Milk
  • Brad Pitt, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
  • Mickey Rourke, The Wrestler

Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role

  • Josh Brolin, Milk
  • Robert Downey Jr., Tropic Thunder
  • Philip Seymour Hoffman, Doubt
  • Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight
  • Michael Shannon, Revolutionary Road

Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role

  • Anne Hathaway, Rachel Getting Married
  • Angelina Jolie, Changeling
  • Melissa Leo, Frozen River
  • Kate Winslet. The Reader
  • Meryl Streep, Doubt

Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role

  • Amy Adams, Doubt
  • Penélope Cruz, Vicky Cristina Barcelona
  • Viola Davis, Doubt
  • Taraji P. Henson, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
  • Marisa Tomei, The Wrestler

Best Animated Feature Film of the Year

  • Bolt
  • Kung Fu Panda
  • Wall-E

Original Screenplay

  • Dustin Lance Black, Milk
  • Courtney Hunt, Frozen River
  • Mike Leigh, Happy-Go-Lucky
  • Martin McDonagh, In Bruges
  • Andrew Stanton and Jim Reardon, WALL-E

Adapted Screenplay

  • Eric Roth and Robin Swicord, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
  • John Patrick Shanley, Doubt
  • Peter Morgan, Frost/Nixon
  • David Hare, The Reader
  • Simon Beaufoy, Slumdog Millionaire

Best Foreign Language Film of the Year

  • The Baader Meinhof Complex (Germany)
  • The Class (France)
  • Departures (Japan)
  • Revanche (Austria)
  • Waltz With Bashir (Israel)

Original Score

  • Alexandre Desplat, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
  • James Newton Howard, Defiance
  • Danny Elfman, Milk
  • A.R. Rahman, Slumdog Millionaire
  • Thomas Newman, WALL-E

Original Song

  • "Down to Earth," Peter Gabriel and Thomas Newman; WALL-E
  • "Jai Ho," A.R. Rahman and Gulzar; Slumdog Millionaire
  • "O Saya," A.R. Rahman and Maya Arulpragasam; Slumdog Millionaire

Achievement in Art Direction

  • Changeling
  • The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
  • The Dark Knight
  • The Duchess
  • Revolutionary Road

Achievement in Cinematography

  • Changeling
  • The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
  • The Dark Knight
  • The Reader
  • Slumdog Millionaire

Achievement in Costume Design

  • Australia
  • The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
  • The Duchess
  • Milk
  • Revolutionary Road

Best Documentary Feature

  • The Betrayal (Nerakhoon)
  • Encounters at the End of the World
  • The Garden
  • Man on Wire
  • Trouble the Water

Best Documentary Short Subject

  • The Conscience of Nhem En
  • The Final Inch
  • Smile Pinki
  • The Witness—From the Balcony of Room 306

Achievement in Film Editing

  • The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
  • The Dark Knight
  • Frost/Nixon
  • Milk
  • Slumdog Millionaire

Achievement in Makeup

  • The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
  • The Dark Knight
  • Frost/Nixon
  • Milk
  • Slumdog Millionaire

Best Animated Short Film

  • La Maison en Petits Cubes
  • Lavatory—Lovestory
  • Oktapodi
  • Presto
  • This Way Up

Best Live Action Short Film

  • Auf der Strecke (On the Line)
  • Manon on the Asphalt
  • New Boy
  • The Pig
  • Spielzeugland (Toyland)

Achievement in Sound Editing

  • The Dark Knight
  • Iron Man
  • Slumdog Millionaire
  • WALL-E
  • Wanted

Achievement in Sound Mixing

  • The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
  • The Dark Knight
  • Slumdog Millionaire
  • WALL-E
  • Wanted

Achievement in Visual Effects

  • The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
  • The Dark Knight
  • Iron Man