One film was the highest-grossingof all time, making £1.32bn (13bn yuan) at the box office; the other had taken just £10m (100m yuan).

One film was a sci-fi fantasy, rich in the latest CGI and 3D techniques, set on a lush, leafy, fictional planet called Pandora; the other was agritty, realistic war drama set in the deserts of Iraq.

And perhaps most interestingly of all, one film was by Hollywood mega-director James Cameron, with the Oscar-winning movie Titanic under his belt; the other was by the less celebrated Kathryn Bigelow, who also happened to be his ex-wife.

Both films were nominated for nine awards apiece.

Cameron playfully throttles Bigelow before the event

Yet it was Bigelow's The Hurt Locker that stole the show, winning six awards including best picture, as opposed to Cameron's Avatar, which won just three.

It was also, significantly, the first time a woman had won the best director award. Bigelow, however, is reluctant to be referred to as a 'female director', and made no reference to her gender in her Oscars acceptance speech.

"I'd love to think of myself as a filmmaker, and I long for the day when amodifier can be a moot point," she said.

"But I'm ever grateful if I can inspire some young, intrepid, tenaciousmale or female filmmaker and have them feel that the impossible is possible and never give up on your dream."

Nonetheless, her victory does highlight the position of women in cinema. At present only around 10% of films in the UK and 7% of Hollywood films are directed by women. Many hope Bigelow's win will help change this.

So, did James Cameron begrudge his ex-wife landing the top honours? Speaking on the red carpet ahead of the ceremony, he said:

"I've extolled her virtues to the world and supported her as a filmmaker. I'd be tremendously proud if she won."