Women are the winners after eight decades of hurt

But the triumph of Kathryn Bigelow's acclaimed Iraq war drama The Hurt Locker over ex-spouse James Cameron's 3D epic Avatar at Sunday night's Oscar ceremony was about far more than post-nuptial competition – the 58-year-old finally shattered one of cinema's most enduring glass ceilings to become the first woman to be named Best Director in more than eight decades of Academy Awards.

"I hope I'm the first of many," she told the glamorous audience at the 82nd Academy Awards, as many millions more watched on TV around the world.

The Hurt Locker collected six awards in all, including the much-coveted Best Picture, its lack of star names and relatively small budget emphasising a triumph for independent cinema over Cameron's mega-bucks sci-fi fantasy, which was left trailing in its wake with just three gongs.

British nominees also faced disappointment, with Colin Firth, Dame Helen Mirren and Carey Mulligan all going home empty-handed, and no success either for the Nick Hornby-penned An Education nor Armando Ianucci's In The Loop. Even Wallace and Gromit missed out.

It was all a far cry from the 2009 event, which was so dominated by the runaway success of Danny Boyle's Slumdog Millionaire. Britain's only award this year went to costumer designer Sandy Powell, which picked up the third Oscar of her career for her work on Young Victoria.

"I've already got two of these at home, so I'm feeling greedy," she said.

The night's other big winners were Jeff Bridges, named Best Actor for his performance as a fading country music star in Crazy Heart, and Sandra Bullock, who won Best Actress for her role in American football drama The Blind Side.

Bridges, who was a particularly popular choice after five unrewarded nominations over the past 30 years, dedicated his success to his parents, film actors Lloyd and Dorothy Dean Richards.

"I can remember my dad sitting me on his bed and teaching me all off the basics of acting," he said. "They love showbiz so much and I feel an extension of them. This is honouring them as much as it is me."

A humble Bullock heaped praise on her fellow nominees as she collected the Best Actress award, jokingly telling 24-year-old British starlet Mulligan: "Carey, your grace and your elegance and your beauty and your talent makes me sick.""

Unflinching ghetto drama Precious won both Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Supporting Actress for Mo'Nique, who fought back tears as she thanked the Academy "for showing that it can be about the performance and not the politics".

As expected, Christoph Waltz won the Best Supporting Actor award for his role as a bloodthirsty Nazi in Inglourious Basterds.

The Best Animated Feature Film was Up, while Nick Park's latest Wallace and Gromit caper A Matter Of Loaf and Death was beaten in the Animated Short Film category by Logorama.

But there was no question the night belonged to Bigelow. "There's no way to describe it," she said, collecting her Oscar. "It's the moment of a lifetime."