'Hurt Locker' thrashes ‘Avatar’, bags 6 Oscars

After having a neck to neck fight with James Cameron’s ‘Avatar’ at the 82nd Academy Awards, Kathryn Bigelow’s ‘The Hurt Locker’ emerged as a big winner by pocketing 6 Oscars at the ceremony on Sunday. The Iraq-based war drama ‘The Hurt Locker’ was named best picture and also got the best director Oscar for Kathryn Bigelow. With nine nominations, ‘The Hurt Locker’ had tied for the Oscar lead with the sci-fi epic ‘Avatar.’

Spicezee Bureau

Los Angeles: After having a neck to neck fight with James Cameron’s ‘Avatar’ at the 82nd Academy Awards, Kathryn Bigelow’s ‘The Hurt Locker’ emerged as a big winner by pocketing 6 Oscars at the ceremony on Sunday. The Iraq-based war drama ‘The Hurt Locker’ was named best picture and also got the best director Oscar for Kathryn Bigelow. "This is the moment of a lifetime... it is so extraordinary to be in the company of such powerful filmmakers. I really want to thank the Academy. The secret to filmmaking is collaborating and I had a truly extraordinary group of collaborators. I want to dedicate this to all men and women in the military who risk their lives on a daily basis," Bigelow said after accepting the award. The Iraq War drama ‘The Hurt Locker’ won its first category of the night, original screenplay for Mark Boal, who spun a story about the perils and pressures of a US bomb unit in Iraq. Producers Kathryn Bigelow, Mark Boal, Nicolas Chartier and Greg Shapiro won the best picture award for the film that stars Jeremy Renner as Staff Sgt. "This is something beyond our dreams. To be standing here was something that we never imagined. Thank you for honouring us," said Boal after getting the award. On the other hand, Cameron's mega-budget venture 'Avatar' managed to bag 3 Oscars in several categories at the ceremony, but the film was comfortably defeated by 'The Hurt Locker' in the end. ‘Avatar’ won awards in technical categories including – best cinematography, best visual effects and best art direction. With nine nominations, ‘The Hurt Locker’ had tied for the Oscar lead with the sci-fi epic ‘Avatar.’