Eight Oscars for Slumdog I Chief film critic's verdict I As it happened: Chris Ayres in LA I Full list of Oscar winners I Sixth time lucky for Kate I Best speeches I 20 best and worst dresses I Complete Oscars coverage

I have just finished a photoshoot where all eight of the Slumdog trophies were together for the last time: three are going back to India, one to Denmark, and some to the UK. I haven’t had much sleep.

We didn't party hard, we just talked and talked. We didn’t need champagne, we needed water. The next morning all the winners went back to the Kodak Theatre to film Oprah, which was like Groundhog Day.

I was so pleased for Kate. Boy, has she had to wait for that award and it must have been difficult for her to keep her head, but that “holding the shampoo” remark was inspired. She said to me that her dad – who let forth that fabulous, piercing whistle – had gotten a bigger buzz meeting Elvis Costello at one of the parties than in watching his daughter win the Oscar.

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I spent 20 minutes with Stephen Spielberg. He reminded me that he had to wait 16 years from when he was first nominated [in 1977] to win an Oscar in 1993.

“It did me good,” he told me. “You learn by waiting.”

There was a lovely moment when Will Smith came up to the group and instead of going up to Dev Patel, who’s been getting loads of press, went up to Madhur [Mittal], who plays his brother, who’s not as well known. That’s a class act.

The children had a blast. They loved it, they laughed and cried and got very oversentimental, which is like all arts folk. I’m a parent myself and of course I was concerned about bringing the children – particularly the two poorer children out of the eight, Rubina [Ali] and Azharuddin [Ismail] – would cope with the exposure to a world which has a distorting lens at the best of times to any of us. But despite my and Christian’s [Colson, the film’s producer) liberal misgivings, it was the right decision. They enjoyed the moment. As soon as they got to their hotel they jumped into the pool fully clothed. They went to Disneyworld and Universal Studios.

All the kids are going back to school, they’re focused on that, and it’s the most important thing. They were banging on about exams, which means they’re motivated. They know the experience was a short-term one, amazing but short term and, as we’ve said, we will do we can to extend our duty of care to them as they get older.

You’ve got to be careful of claiming that this marks the renaissance of the British film industry, It’s one film. To any director or writer out there, I say persist. Keep going. Do all you can do. But whatever happens, keep Film 4 well-funded and protected. There’s a real danger in these times of cutting back, and Slumdog would not have happened without the persistence and creativity of Tessa Ross [controller of film and drama at Channel 4].

Film 4, BBC Films and Working Title are havens. It would certainly be very bad news if they were diminished. If the British are finally coming, then it’s down to the likes of Tessa Ross and Film 4, so fund them properly.

I’ve got no projects planned. But I want to get back on the bicycle. I’m coming back to London, going into my kitchen, having a cuppa and thinking about things. As soon as I can I’m taking the Oscar, as I promised two Sundays ago, back up to the St Mary’s Catholic Social Club in Manchester where my dad is a member and where I sat and drank lemonade as a boy.

I took the Baftas back there in an M&S bag, I've got the Oscar in a shoe bag at the moment. I promised them a few weeks back I’d bring it if I won. I’ll be there this Sunday.

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