Oscar 2009: Winners Acceptance Speeches

Here are some collected 2009 Oscar Acceptance Speeches.

CATEGORY: Achievement in sound editing
SPEECH BY: Richard King
FILM: "The Dark Knight"

Thank you. As a kid growing up in suburban Florida, I was obsessed by movies and Hollywood seemed like it was a million miles away. I never thought that I would be here, but I'm so happy to be and thrilled to be a part of the creative industry that going to work is fun every day. And I'd like to thank my crew, picture editor Lee Smith, mixers Lora Hirschberg and Gary Rizzo, producers Emma Thomas, Chuck Roven and Christopher Nolan, who was very fun to work with and very detail-oriented, just made going to work a joy, and thank you very much, Chris. Thank you to the Academy.

CATEGORY: Achievement in visual effects

SPEECH BY: Eric Barba
FILM: "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"

Oh my God. On behalf of myself, Steve Preeg, Burt Dalton and Craig Barron, I'd like to thank the Academy for this incredible honor. I'd also like to thank Edson Williams and his team at Lola Visual Effects and Nathan McGuinness and his team at Asylum as well as all the other visual effects teams that worked so hard on this film. I'd like to thank our amazing team at Digital Domain, my mentor Ed Ulbrich, my wonderful producer Lisa Beroud, the woman who is my biggest supporter, my wife Roma, Kathleen Kennedy, Frank Marshall and Ceán Chaffin, for trusting that we could actually pull this off. Brad Pitt for an amazing performance. And of course David Fincher for giving us all the opportunity to work on this film. To my kids, Cole and Nicolette, I'd just like to say, "Work hard, do good work and never give up." Thank you.

CATEGORY: Best documentary short subject
SPEECH BY: Megan Mylan
FILM: "Smile Pinki "

Wow! Oh, to be in a room with all this talent. Lucky me, and to tell stories for a living, lucky me. And to have a family and friends who love me and my movies totally unconditionally. Documentary, like all filmmaking, is a complete team sport, and I'd like to thank my editor Purcell Carson, cinematographers Nick Doob and Jon Shenk, field producer Nandini Rajwade and from HBO Sheila Nevins and Lisa Heller. The same magic that happens in our film happens every day for children with clefts all around the world because of a terrific organization called the Smile Train. But most importantly for documentary filmmakers it's our subjects. The incredible Dr. Subodh and his team, Ghutaru Chauhan and our heroine Pinki Kumari. Thank you, thank you, thank you for letting me tell your inspiring story. What a gift. Thank you all so much.

 

CATEGORY: Best documentary feature
SPEECHES BY: James Marsh and Simon Chinn
FILM: "Man on Wire"

James Marsh:

It doesn't feel right to be up here on my own, so Philippe you got about 20 seconds to get up here, as you do. Thank you to everyone who was in the film. Thank you to everyone who worked on the film. Thank you to my dear wife Anne Mette and my lovely daughters Anna May and Ida. This is for you, girls. Nothing's impossible.

Simon Chinn:
Time is short, but I want to thank my beautiful wife Lara, my two boys Haroun and Jonah, may they continue to have big dreams, but may they please not do what this man does.

Philippe Petit:
The shortest speech in Oscar history: "Yes!" But I always the break the rule, I break my own rules very quickly and of course this film would have not been made without my Kathy. And also, Werner, I always carry the coin you gave me. And you were right. We won. So now it's time to thank the Academy for believing in magic.

 

CATEGORY: Performance by an actor in a supporting role
SPEECHES BY: Kim Ledger, Sally Bell
FILM: "The Dark Knight"

Kim Ledger:

First of all, I have to say this is ever so humbling. Just being amongst such wonderful people, such a wonderful industry. Firstly, I'd like to thank the Academy for recognizing our son's amazing work, Warner Bros. and Christopher Nolan in particular, for allowing Heath the creative license to develop and explore this crazy Joker character. To Steve Alexander, Heath's mentor, special friend and agent for 10 years. We love you, Steve.

This award tonight would've humbly validatEd Heath's quiet determination to be truly accepted by you all here, his peers, within an industry he so loved. Thank you.

Sally Bell:
Heath was such a compassionate and generous soul who added so much excitement and inspiration to our lives. We have been truly overwhelmed by the honor and respect being bestowed upon him with this award. Tonight, we are choosing to celebrate and be happy for what he has achieved.

Kate Ledger:
Heath, we both knew what you had created in the Joker was extraordinarily special and had even talked about being here on this very day. We really wish you were, but we proudly accept this award on behalf of your beautiful Matilda. Thank you.

CATEGORY: Best live action short film
SPEECH BY: Jochen Alexander Freydank
FILM: "Spielzeugland (Toyland)"

This is almost a surreal moment for me, 'cause I grew up in East Germany, so behind the wall. So West Germany was far away from me. Hollywood, that's really far away, and the Oscar now, it's incredible. And I thank the Academy. I directed this movie. Unfortunately, I produced it as well, so I spent four years of my life on this fourteen-minute movie and it was a story I really wanted to tell. And I thank all my cast and crew. I had wonderful actors to work with. I thank my cowriter Johann Bunners. I thank my cinematographer Cico Nicolaisen, my composer Ingo Frenzel. Thanks to all of you guys. And of course, I hope this bald head here is gonna help all of us in our future career. Thank you very much.

CATEGORY: Achievement in cinematography

SPEECH BY: Anthony Dod Mantle
FILM: "Slumdog Millionaire"

I found it very inspiring, Natalie and Ben. If I could use as few words on a set on a film like SLUMDOG and get away with it, I wish I could. I wish I could. Fantastic. I could thank thousands of people. I can't do it. I, of course, have to thank the Academy. I'm very honored with this beautiful thing. Everybody who has worked with me on this film, all over this room, especially in this little corner here, the blue corner. And all the people that've worked on all the films I've done for the last 20 years, they're with me tonight. I'll try and thank you every day from now on. That's my policy.

CATEGORY: Achievement in makeup
SPEECH BY: Greg Cannom
FILM: "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"

Thank you. I want to thank the Academy, Paramount, Warner Bros. I share this with Colleen Callaghan, who should be up here with me, "Hi." Makeup: Jean Black, Fionagh Cush, Elaine Offers. Special makeup: Miles Teves, Brian Sipe, Will Huff, Todd Tucker, Harvey Lowry, Mark Jacszyn, Alexei O'Brien, Mark Nieman, Chris Gallaher, Art, Martin, Helen Cohen. Hair: Susan Kalinowski and Natascha, Favian Wigs. Our fantastic director David Fincher, Ceán Chaffin, Kathleen Kennedy, Frank Marshall, Sara Spring, Jim Davidson, Bob Wagner, Daniel Stillman, and of course, Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett, Taraji Henson, Jason Flemyng, Tilda Swinton, M. Ali, JarEd Harris, and especially New Orleans. Thank you.

CATEGORY: Adapted screenplay
SPEECH BY: Simon Beaufoy
FILM: "Slumdog Millionaire"

Hi gang. Thank you very much indeed. There are certain places in the universe you never imagine standing. For me, it's the moon, the

South Pole, the Miss World podium and here. It's a tremendous honor, so thank you to the Academy. I certainly wouldn't be standing

here tonight without Vikas Swarup, who wrote the book, without which none of Slumdog would ever have happened. So thank you,

Vikas.

Tessa Ross from Film4 who shoved the manuscript to my hand and said this is yours, you must go to India. Thank you. My parents

who've always supported me throughout everything. My wife Jane, for whom repressed English writers have to write love stories 'cause

they can't really say what they mean. Susan Landau and Charlotte Knight, both my manager and my agent, um, and of course, the

wonderful Dev, the wonderful Latika and the cast and crew of the film who have taught me so much about India and so much about

writing, so they've all sort of changed my life. And finally, um, thank you so much to Danny and Christian, the other two musketeers.

Thank you very much.

CATEGORY: Achievement in costume design

SPEECH BY: Michael O'Connor
FILM: "The Duchess"

This unbelievable. Absolutely unbelievable. Before I forget, I must thank Rachel Portman for that music in THE DUCHESS that wasn't the music, but music is fantastic in the film. I want to thank Paramount Vantage and Pathé for promoting the work in this film. I think they did a great job showcasing that film. My crew. I'd like to thank some individuals, please. Gordon Harmer, Anna Kot, Luan Placks, Ann Maskrey, Anthony Brookman, Sarah Touaibi. I'd also like to thank my agent Michelle Arnold, who is a lovely lady, she got me an interview with these people. And Gaby Tana, Saul Dibb and Michael Kuhn, stuck their neck out to get me this job. I apparently was the risk. And I think it's paid off now, so I'm glad about that. And most importantly I'd like to thank the cast because, you know, working with such a great cast, everyone was with me. Um, so quickly, Dominic Cooper, Hayley Atwell, Charlotte Rampling, Ralph Fiennes and Keira Knightley, you are one classy lady. Thank you so much.

 

CATEGORY: Achievement in art direction

SPEECHES BY: Donald Graham Burt and Victor J. Zolfo
FILM: "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"

Burt:

Wow. We'd like to thank the Academy for this wonderful honor. We first and foremost want to thank our crews that we had in our art departments, and those crews were in New Orleans, in Montreal, in St. Thomas, and here in Los Angeles. We want to thank our producers, Kathleen Kennedy, Frank Marshall and my dear friend of many years, Ceán Chaffin. And I said at another awards ceremony that our producers were great because they did what every producer should ever do and that is leave us alone.

I want to recognize one person who's been very special to me over these last few years and somebody that I just think is a brilliant director and even more so a wonderful human being, and that's my friend David Fincher. And I want to recognize him because I think he did so much to make this movie so special. And this movie means so much to me and I want him to know that. I thank, um, that's it. I want to thank my lovely wife for everything she's done for me.

Zolfo:
Thank you, everybody, and thank you, Academy. And thank you mom and dad. I love you.

 

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