“Slumdog Millionaire,” the 2008 British drama film directed by Danny Boyle and written by Simon Beaufoy, starring Dev Patel and Freida Pinto, was named best film of 2008 on Thursday morning by the National Board of Review and Motion Pictures, a nonprofit group that supports film and the arts. Founded in 1909, the high profile group is composed by film professionals, educators, historians and students. Annie Schulhof, the board’s president, said the film, with “brilliant direction” by Danny Boyle, “shares a passionate story about one man’s courage and determination for the woman he loves.”

Dev Patel won breakthrough performance by an actor for his role as an Indian teenager in this film. “Slumdog Millionaire” also tied with “The Curious Case of Bejamin Button” for best adapted screenplay. Simon Beaufoy wrote the film’s screenplay with the novel “Q and A” written by Vikas Swarup as the premise. He made interviews with street children in India and he said he was very impressed with their attitudes and wanted to capture the “the mass of energy” of these Indian slums.

The movie, considered by some the Hindi version of “Who Wants To Be A Millionaire,” tells the story of a young Indian man whose experiences throughout his poverty-stricken life help him compete for millions on a game show. Enter Jamal (played by Dev Patel) is a teenager who serves tea for a living and who, following several flashing invigorating and frightening quests, ends up in the moneymaking seat of the popular television show “Who Wants To Be A Millionaire” while trying to find the woman he loves.

Each chapter of the story holds the answers to some of the game show’s questions. The movie revolves around the adventures of three friends: Jamal, his older brother, Salim, both poor kids from Mumbai (“slumdogs”) and a beautiful young girl named Latika, played by Frieda Pinto. They learn how to believe in true values like love and friendship.

The Indian background, with the socioeconomic problems of that country originally represented, adds a new ingredient to the picture. At the same time, the film manages to capture the clash between the East and the West, high culture and low culture.

The original soundtrack of the movie, composed by A.R. Rahman, fits the images. Boyle described the music of the film as one of the parts that he liked most. The composer has stated his initial idea was of “mixing modern India and the old India” with the music, but the soundtrack “isn’t about India or Indian culture. The story could happen anywhere.”

Anne Hathaway received best actress nom for her role in the indie movie “Rachel Getting Married” and Clint Eastwood was cited as top actor for his role as a grouchy widower in “Gran Torino.” David Fincher was named top director for “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” a fable based on the short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald.

In the supporting actor categories, the board named Penelope Cruz for her role in “Vicky Cristina Barcelona” and Josh Brolin for his role as the assassin Dan White in “Milk.” In the best animated feature category, the board named “Wall-E.”