Los Angeles, Feb 28 (IANS) Melissa Leo won the award for the best performance by an actress in a supporting role for "The Fighter" at the 83rd Academy Awards.

She pipped Amy Adams for "The Fighter", Helena Bonham Carter for "The King's Speech", Hailee Steinfeld for "True Grit" and Jacki Weaver in "Animal Kingdom" to win the prize Sunday at Hollywood's Kodak Theatre.

Wally Pfister walked away with the best cinematography for his work in the sci-fi film "Inception", which explores the human mind and dream. It has eight nominations.

Robert Stromberg and Karen O'Hara won the Oscar for best achievement in art direction For "Alice in Wonderland".

Director duo Shaun Tan and Andrew Ruhemann won the golden statuette for the best animated short film for "The Lost Thing" that tells the story of a boy who finds a strange creature on a beach and decides to find a home for it in a world where everyone believes there are far more important things to pay attention to.