¡¡  LOS ANGELES, Feb. 27 (Xinhuanet) -- The first Oscar, the award forbest art direction, went to "The Aviator", the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced Sunday evening.

    The 77th Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2004 was presented at the Kodak Theater.

    "The Aviator", with art direction by Dante Ferretti and set direction by Francesca Lo Schiavo, is an epic depiction of US billionaire Howard Hughes' eccentric life.

    The film won 2 golden globes and 11 Oscar nominations this January. Its top star Leonardo DiCaprio was nominated for best actor.

    But its matchup, "The Million Dollar Baby" which won 7 nominations, also caught an award. Hollywood veteran Morgan Freeman won the best supporting actor Oscar for his role as Eddie "Scrap" Dupris, the live-in manager of the Hit Pit gym and the narrator of the boxing drama.

    "I want to thank everybody and anybody who ever had anything atall to do with the making of this picture," Freeman said.

    "But I especially want to thank Clint Eastwood for giving me the opportunity to work with him again, and to work with Hilary Swank. This was a labor of love."

    The 67-year-old actor of some 30 films prevailed over first-time nominees. He finally scored Oscar gold on his fourth nomination. Enditem

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