Oscar Wins for 4 Borderlines Films

With the Oscar for Leading Actress for her role as an ex-concentration camp guard, Hanna Schmitz, in The Reader Kate Winslet mopped up her 3rd major award this season last night. View her (reasonably dry) acceptance speech.


A surprise win for Sean Penn in the Leading Actor category; the award was expected to go the way of the BAFTA and Golden Globe and land in the fist of Mickey Rourke for his thumping comeback in The Wrestler. Sean Penn's performance as gay rights campaigner, Harvey Milk, in Milk was faultless (presenting Penn's nomination, Robert De Niro gagged "How, for so many years, did Sean Penn get all those straight roles?"). The actor has since said that he hopes to get the film screened in front of President Barack Obama at the White House at a crucial time for gay rights; single-sex marriages have been outlawed in California after a voter referendum.

Meanwhile Penelope Cruz walked away with the Oscar for Best Supporting Acress for Vicky Cristina Barcelona and a well-deserved Best Documentary Feature accolade for the truly outstanding Man on Wire.

Oblivious to Oblivion

Double page centrefold for The Age of Stupid in yesterday's Sun. The film's star Pete Postlethwaite explains in the article why he had to take part: “When I looked at the subject and what the film was trying to do there was no option really. I had to do it.

“The stakes are very, very high. They’re through the roof.

“How could we willingly know that we’re going into extinction... and let it happen.”

The piece draws on the chilling (!) parallels between predictions in the film for 2055 (images of Sydney Opera House in flames) and the recent bush fires in southern Australia.


The Age of Stupid: final trailer Feb 2009 from Age of Stupid on Vimeo.

BAFTAs for 6 Borderlines 2009 Films

The Reader, The Wrestler, Vicky Cristina Barcelona, Man on Wire, Hunger and I've Loved You So Long are all BAFTA winners.