The Hurt Locker makes Oscar history

Iraq war drama The Hurt Locker swept the board at Sunday night's Oscars, winning best film and best director for its maker, Kathryn Bigelow. Bigelow, one of only four women to be nominated for the award in the Oscars' 82-year history, is the first female director ever to win the esteemed accolade.

Reuters

The film-maker described the award as "the moment of a lifetime".

"I'd like to dedicate this to the women and men in the military who risk their lives on a daily basis in Iraq and Afghanistan and around the world," she said as she accepted her statuette at the star-packed annual ceremony in Los Angeles' Kodak Theater. "May they come home safe."

The Hurt Locker, which tells the story of a US Army bomb disposal unit in Baghdad, also picked up awards for its screenplay, film editing, sound editing and sound mixing.

Its main competition, James Cameron's big-budget special effects extravanganza Avatar, missed out on writing, acting and directing awards - but saw its technical team rewarded for its art direction, cinematography and special effects.

The top acting honours went to Jeff Bridges for his role as a washed-up country singer in Crazy Heart, and Sandra Bullock for her performance as a feisty housewife in The Blind Side.

But there was disappointment for France's only nominee, director Jacques Audiard, whose César-winning A Prophet was beaten by Argentine director Juan Jose Campanella's film The Secret in Their Eyes in the category Best Foreign Film.