The Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films awarded its 35th annual Saturn Awards on 25 June 2009. The Academy was founded in 1972 to honor and recognize genre achievement.
In addition to the standard awards (listed below), three special awards were announced:
Actor Lance Henriksen received the Life Career Award for his strong body of work in film and television, presented by Ed Harris.
DreamWorks Animation studio head, Jeffrey Katzenberg, was awarded the inaugural Visionary Award for his efforts in advancing 3D film presentation, presented by Jerry Bruckheimer.
Genre icon Leonard Nimoy was presented the Lifetime Achievement Award for his work in film and television which covers five decades, presented by J.J. Abrams.
The leader among film nominees was The Dark Knight, with 11 nominations. The film picked up five awards (the biggest winner of the night was Enchanted, which took home three). The Curious Case of Benjamin Button was second with 9 nominations, followed by Iron Man with 8; each of those films took home three awards.
In the television categories, Lost led the field with 11 nominations, but Battlestar Galactica was the darling of the awards, taking home three.
The award winners are:
Film Awards:
Science Fiction Film: Iron Man
Fantasy Film: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Horror Film: Hellboy II: The Golden Army
Action/Adventure/Thriller Film: The Dark Knight
Actor: Robert Downey, Jr. (Iron Man)
Actress: Angelina Jolie (Changeling)
Supporting Actor: Heath Ledger (The Dark Knight)
Supporting Actress: Tilda Swinton (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button)
Performance by a Younger Actor: Jaden Christopher Smith (The Day the Earth Stood Still)
Director: Jon Favreau (Iron Man)
Writer: Christopher Nolan and Jonathan Nolan (The Dark Knight)
Music: Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard (The Dark Knight)
Costume: Mary Zophres (Indiana Jones & the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull)
Make-Up: Greg Cannom (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button)
Special Effects: Nick Davis, Chris Corbould, Timothy Webber, and Paul J. Franklin (The Dark Knight)
International Film: Let the Right One In
Animated Film: Wall-E
Television Awards:
Television Series: Lost
Syndicated/Cable Television Series: Battlestar Galactica
Presentation on Television: The Librarian: The Curse of the Judas Chalice
Actor on Television: Edward James Olmos (Battlestar Galactica)
Actress on Television: Mary McDonnell (Battlestar Galactica)
Supporting Actor on Television: Adrian Pasdar (Heroes)
Supporting Actress on Televison: Jennifer Carpenter (Dexter)
Guest Starring Role on Television: Jimmy Smits (Dexter)
DVD Awards:
DVD Release: Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer
DVD Special Edition Release: Stephen King’s The Mist (two-disc Special Edition)
DVD Classic Film Release: Psycho (Universal Legacy Series)
DVD Collection: The Godfather—The Coppola Restoration
Series on DVD: Moonlight
Retro Series on DVD: The Invaders