Los Angeles - Slumdog Millionaire continued its rags-to- riches story Sunday night when it earned a handful of shining statuettes at Hollywood's annual Oscar gala.

Even before some of the major awards were given out, director Danny Boyle's tale about the rise of a slum-dwelling Mumbai orphan to the final of India's most popular quiz show earned five Oscars. The movie won for best adapted screenplay, cinematography, original score, sound mixing, film editing and original song.

Australian actor Heath Ledger won the Oscar for best-supporting actor Sunday, more than a year after he died from an accidental drug overdose at the age of 28. Ledger was honoured for his widely acclaimed portrayal of the manic criminal the Joker in the Batman movie The Dark Knight.

His award was accepted by his family, who received a standing ovation as they made their way to the stage.

"We'd like to thank the Academy for recognizing or son's amazing work," said his father, Kim Ledger. "This award tonight would have humbly validated Heath's quiet determination to be truly accepted by you all here."

Earlier, the first prize of the evening went to Penelope Cruz for best-supporting actress in Woody Allen's movie Vicky Christina Barcelona.

"I always felt that this ceremony was a moment of unity for the world," said the Spanish star, 34, "because art in any form has been, will be and will always be our universal language."

Dustin Lance Black won the prize for original screenplay for Milk. WALL-E was named the year's best animated movie, while the best animated short film was La Maison en Petits Cubes. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button won for art direction, make-up and visual effects, while The Duchess won for make-up.

Comedian Jerry Lewis was given a lifetime achievement award for his humanitarian work for the Muscular Dystrophy Association.

Slumdog Millionaire was the favourite to dominate the biggest night of the Hollywood calendar. The rags-to-riches story exhibited its uncanny magic on the red carpet, where despite all the big names arriving at the Kodak Theatre it was the movie's young stars, led by Dev Patel and Freida Pinto, who made the strongest impact.

Host Hugh Jackman opened the 81st Oscar show with a cabaret number about the five films nominated for best picture that saw him step into the audience and carry best-actress nominee Anne Hathaway on stage for a duet. The song-and-dance routine earned him the first standing ovation of the night.

Producers tried to shake up the usual Oscar conventions with a number of surprises - meant to halt the show's steady slide in ratings and lack of interest among younger viewers who are the lifeblood of the movie industry.

The film sector has been badly hit by a sharp decline in purchases of DVDs, which in recent years have contributed more to studio revenues than box-office receipts.

Among the changes introduced to the Oscars was the transformation of the Kodak Theatre into a "dream nightclub," and using the award presentations to explain how a film is made as parts of the stage were transformed into a faux movie set.

Coming into the show Slumdog Millionaire had eight nominations compared to the leading 13 nominations for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. However, the Brad Pitt star vehicle is not expected to win as many of the major prizes as the India-based movie.

Besides those two films, the other contenders for best picture are Frost/Nixon, Milk and The Reader.

The best-actor nominees are Richard Jenkins, The Visitor; Frank Langella, Frost/Nixon; Sean Penn, Milk; Brad Pitt, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button; and Mickey Rourke, The Wrestler.

Best-actress contenders are Anne Hathaway, Rachel Getting Married; Angelina Jolie, Changeling; Melissa Leo, Frozen River; Meryl Streep, Doubt; and Kate Winslet, The Reader.

Up for best director are David Fincher, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button; Ron Howard, Frost/Nixon; Gus Van Sant, Milk; Stephen Daldry, The Reader; and Danny Boyle, Slumdog Millionaire.

The foreign film nominees are The Baader Meinhof Complex, Germany; The Class, France; Departures, Japan; Revanche, Austria; and Waltz With Bashir, Israel. (dpa)