"What Do Real Slumdogs Think Of SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE?"

London's The Times screened SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE for 30 street children in Mumbai. This article details their reaction, plus check out a few snippets from it below. Also below: the latest awards news, from both BAFTA and WGA.

Once the final credits have rolled, I ask who has enjoyed the film. Thirty hands shoot up immediately. Danny Boyle's movie, the most talked-about British film in years, may have won a powerful cohort of enemies in India and overseas, but among these real-life 'slumdogs' the director has become a hero. 'The film is true to life,' says Rupesh, who claims to be 17 but looks several years younger." 

"Other true-to-life scenes in 'Slumdog' that the real youngsters pick out include those depicting small children working as rag-pickers on a rubbish dump, and the film's portrayal of a violent sectarian riot. 'We've seen these things,' says Jeetu, 16. “They happen as you see in the film.” They approve of the way in which Jamal and his brother are shown working together to survive. 'We have to look after each other,' says Ashfaq, 13. 'Nobody else does.'"

"Asked if they find the film insulting, the children reply with a bemused 'no' - it shows real things, they reiterate: poverty, prostitution, murder, theft, blackmail, religious violence, the exploitation of the weak. Its 'heart' is entirely authentic, they say, and it's good for outsiders to see how they exist." 

(READ THE ARTICLE HERE!)

SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE Sweeps the BAFTA's

From EW.com's "SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE Sweeps BAFTA's":

"'Slumdog Millionaire' added to its ever-increasing awards-season haul on Sunday with seven wins at the annual British Academy of Film and Television Arts awards. Danny Boyle's Mumbai-set drama swept the top prizes -- Best Film, Best Director, and Best Adapted Screenplay."

You can watch video of Danny talking about his BAFTA wins at the organization's Web site. And the seven awards are... (Drum roll, please!)

Best Film - Christian Colson
Best Director - Danny Boyle
Best Adapted Screenplay - Simon Beaufoy
Best Music - A. R. Rahman
Best Cinematography - Anthony Dod Mantle
Best Editing - Chris Dickens 
Best Sound - Glenn Freemantle, Resul Pookutty, Richard Pryke, Tom Sayers, Ian Tapp

SLUMDOG & MILK Take Top WGA Prizes

From The Associated Press's "'Slumdog Millionaire' And 'Milk' Win Top WGA Awards":

"The Oscar contenders 'Milk' and 'Slumdog Millionaire' won top honors Saturday at the Writers Guild of America Awards...

The adapted screenplay award for 'Slumdog Millionaire' went to Simon Beaufoy, who based it on a novel by Vikas Swarup about an Indian street orphan's journey of survival and love."