The Hurt Locker, the low-budget, low-grossing war film about bomb-disposal experts in Iraq won six Oscars Sunday night, including best picture. Filmmaker Kathryn Bigelow became the first woman in the academy's 82-year history to be named best director. Her controversial film beat the $2.5-billion-dollar blockbuster Avatar, from her former husband James Cameron, which won just three awards: for visual effects, cinematography and art direction.
Sandra Bullock won the Oscar as best actress for her performance as the tough-minded Southern socialite who helps a homeless black teenager in The Blind Side.
Jeff Bridges celebrated his fifth nomination with his first Oscar for his performance as the alcoholic, womanizing country singer Bad Blake in the country-music drama Crazy Heart.
Mo'Nique, best known as a comedienne and talk-show host, was named best supporting actress. She won for her harrowing portrayal of the abusive and pathetic mother in Precious.
Christoph Waltz, the multilingual Austrian actor whose portrayal of a playfully sadistic Nazi energized the Second World War revenge fantasy Inglourious Basterds, won the best supporting-actor award.
However, there was a surprise in the Oscar for best foreign film, which went to the Argentinian crime drama El Secreto de Sus Ojos (The Secret in Their Eyes), from Juan José Campanella.
This year, the academy expanded the nomination list to 10 from five -- for the first time since 1943 -- partly to broaden the appeal of the Oscars.
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