No one in the Slumdog Millionaire film crew predicted its Oscar success - except for one of the child actors, director Danny Boyle has said.

"When things like this happen, it's always unexpected really because that's what makes them so extraordinary, " Boyle said at a glittering Empire award ceremony Sunday night, where he picked up the prize for outstanding contribution to British cinema.

"It's amazing and a delight for everybody who was on the film, " Boyle said about the eight Oscars awarded to "Slumdog Millionaire" in February.

"None of us suspected this would happened - apart from one of the kids, " the director said.

"One of the kids said to me when I first cast him he predicted almost, very very seriously. And every week that went by he kept reminding me of it and I used to just kind of like (ignore him).

"And then all of this stuff started to happen, and he kept saying 'I told you so', " the British director told BBC.

The award was presented by players from Boyle's favourite football team, Bury FC, after Boyle told Empire magazine in an earlier interview he would rather Bury FC won the FA Cup than he win an Oscar.

Accepting the award Boyle said: "It's a lovely feeling getting all these awards but you've got to get back on the bicycle at some point."

However, the award for Best British film did not go to "Slumdog Millionaire" after film fans voted for the gangster film "Rocknrolla".

Other winners, who are voted by Empire magazine readers, included: The Dark Knight (best film), Christian Bale (best actor, The Dark Knight), Helena Bonham Carter (best actress, Sweeney Todd), Christopher Nolan (best director, Quantum of Solace), Gemma Arterton (best newcomer). Russell Crowe was named 'actor of our lifetime' to mark Empire's 20th birthday and Viggo Mortensen, who played Aragorn in the Lord of the Rings, was declared the Empire Icon.