Hollywood honored its best on Sunday, February 22, when the 81st Annual Academy Awards ceremony were held in Los Angeles, California. Members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which distributes the Oscars each year, are among the most talented and skilled artists and craftsmen in the film industry. Members mail in their ballots in 24 categories to the Pricewaterhouse Coopers firm, which maintains the utmost secrecy of winners until the moment they are announced. The Academy gave out its first Oscar statuettes on May 16, 1929, at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel.  That year there were 250 attendees and the ceremony only lasted five minutes.  1953 marked the first televised ceremony. This year's ceremony was hosted by Australian actor Hugh Jackman, and televised on the ABC network. In this series of reports, VOA's reporters take a closer look at this year's nominated films and actors.

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And The Winners Are...

Best Motion Picture

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (Paramount,Warner Bros.) Frost/Nixon (Universal) Milk (Focus Features The Reader (The Weinstein Company) Slumdog Millionaire (Fox Searchlight)

Foreign Language

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

Actor, Lead Role

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

Actress, Lead Role

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

Supporting Actor

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

Supporting Actress

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

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

Official Oscar web site