The Oscar hopes of the British film Slumdog Millionaire increased last night when the coming-of-age Indian romance won five prizes – including the coveted best film - at the Critic’s Choice awards in California.

Slumdog, the Mumbai-filmed rags-to-riches tale about an impoverished Indian teenager who goes onto the Indian TV quiz show Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?, won best film, best director (Danny Boyle), best writer (Simon Beaufoy), best young actor (Dev Patel), and best composer (A.R. Rahman).

Boyle, the Trainspotting director who describes the film as “a love song” to Mumbai, looked stunned when he accepted his best director award in front of a who’s who of Hollywood.

"As a Brit, back in the old country, it is amazing to see how generous you have been to this film," said Boyle during the ceremony, which was held in Santa Monica.

Winslet and Slumdog reign at Globes

Winslet led the British charge winning two Golden Globe awards, while Slumdog Millionaire won four, including best film

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BACKGROUND

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“You're mad really,” he continued backstage. “You're a bit like the Indians are mad about movies. When you find a movie you love, you go for it really.”

The Critic’s Choice awards, voted by 200 TV, radio and online film critics from the US and Canada, are a precursor to Sunday night’s Golden Globes, the winners of which are often a good indication for what names will be read out when the all important Oscar nominations are announced on January 22.

English actress Kate Winslet’s hopes for an Oscar nod, or even a Golden Globe win this weekend, also increased after she was named the best supporting actress for her role in The Reader, a romantic thriller set in post-WW2 Germany.

Neither Winslet nor Patel, the 18-year-old best known for his breakthrough role as a British-Pakistani teenager in the popular E4 teen drama Skins, attended the ceremony to pick up their awards.

The late Australian actor Heath Ledger was also acknowledged, being named best supporting actor for his performance as the sadistic Joker in the Batman film The Dark Knight.

Ledger, who died in January from an accidental overdose of prescription drugs, is widely tipped to receive a posthumous Oscar nomination for the role.

Ledger died before The Dark Knight, which was also named best action movie, was released, but he received rave reviews from critics around the world for his performance.

Last night the assembled crowd of Hollywood stars and film industry heavyweights – including Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, Richard Gere and Clint Eastwood - rose to its feet as the film's director, Christopher Nolan, accepted the award for Ledger.

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