They were both up for nine awards, and their combined total came to nine wins. But “The Hurt Locker” clobbered “Avatar” in the Oscars competition on Sunday night, 6-3.

The war film about a bomb defusion team in Iraq, filmed almost guerrilla style in Jordan, was named best film of 2009 at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood. It exploded an old gender bias, bringing Kathryn Bigelow the first directing Oscar to a woman after 81 men.

A stunned Bigelow struggled, as presenter Barbra Streisand watched proudly, to contain her emotions. Among the many she thanked was writer Mark Boal, who also won, though she did not mention ex-husband and “Avatar” creator James Cameron.

The actor winners lined up mostly as expected: actor Jeff Bridges for his rusty-bucket country singer in “Crazy Heart”; actress Sandra Bullock as a can-do mom in “The Blind Side”; supporting actress Mo’Nique as the hateful but moving slum mom in “Precious: Based On the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire,” and Austrian supporting actor Christoph Waltz as the demonic S.S. officer in “Inglourious Basterds.” Bridges was the only returnee, with four past bids.

The winners reveal a strong indie streak among Academy voters. Even “old pro” Bullock was seen as a Comeback Kid in an unexpected hit. Only three prizes went to “Avatar,” the massively expensive ($300 million) and grossing (over $2 billion) hit whose 3-D triumph may bring on a new era.

“Avatar” won for visual effects, cinematography and art design. Sharing the art design prize with Rick Carter and Kim Sinclair was Robert Stromberg, a 1983 grad of Carlsbad High, whose parents live in Oceanside. His acceptance speech was surprisingly dramatic.

“You know, 13 years ago, the doctors told me I wasn’t going to survive and I thought that this dream of standing here would never come true,” he said. “And here we are…”

Giant-slayer “Locker” cost around $11 million and has grossed only a little more than that (its take will now rise). It may have benefited from the Academy opening up the top category for 10 nominees. It won the best reviews overall, deals with the harsh truths of a tough war, without being highly political, and had feminist surge appeal through Bigelow. That a woman first won with a very male war movie is a large asterisk of irony.

For “Avatar” the high (or low) point was perhaps when Ben Stiller appeared wearing Na’vi blue skin and a large tail. Maybe at that moment Cameron realized he was not Oscar’s favorite. He was for “Titanic” in 1998, though its 11 wins and his “king of world’ boast may have crimped his appeal this time – or was it resistance to a dawning 3-D Era?

True to beloved form, Bridges was the most fun. He came to the stage like The Dude from “The Big Lebowski,” exultantly thanking his parents “for turning me on to such a groovy profession. They loved show-biz so much!” It is rare for an Oscar winner to refer to “the industry” as “show-biz.” An acting force on film for almost 40 years, Bridges even hailed composer (and song co-winner) T Bone Burnett “for bringing all those wonderful musicians to the party, man.”

Waltz, probably the first actor to win an Oscar for playing a devout Nazi (and in a film by the very non-Academy Quentin Tarentino) rattled off names and thanks with Teutonic efficiency. It was a fine topper for his Col. Landa, a not exactly glourious basterd.

Bullock, who upset Meryl (“Julie & Julia”) Streep’s hope for a third win in 16 nominations, topped her comeback year with a modest, “Did I deserve this, or did I just wear you down?” After thanking all moms “who take care of the babies,” she offered a tearful salute to her late mother. She has said that the gilded Oscar will go on her mantle right next to her two Golden Raspberry Awards, gladly accepted one day earlier for “All About Steve.”

“The Cove,” about dolphin slaughter in Japan, won the feature documentary prize as history-making Daniel Ellsberg, subject of another doc, sat nearby looking rather wistful. The Argentine “El Secreto de Sus Ojos” (“The Secret of Their Eyes”) beat the more critically lauded and prize-winning “The White Ribbon” from Germany, as top foreign-language film.

England’s Sandy Powell won her third costume design Oscar for “Young Victoria.” She wore a very un-Victorian gown (her design?) that was perhaps the evening’s fashion apex. It certainly beat Miley Cyrus’ shiny, bra-plus-drapery outfit, or Jennifer Lopez wearing a sort of tumbling, scalloped waterfall that suggested thigh pregnancy.

The show was slick but long, with breezy hosts Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin doing syncopated schtick like two frat-house pals from Borscht Belt College. Having stellar friends of the 10 top actor nominees offer brief testimonials before those prizes had some charm, though Vera Farmiga’s bouquet to George Clooney, “He’s just so dreeeaaaamy” was a gumball moment. As Clooney has inherited Jack Nicholson’s mantle as king of Oscar cutaway shots, why did he often seem rather sour?

Mo’Nique’s fierce, gotta-tell-it acceptance, included a mention of first black winner Hattie McDaniel (she hopes to star in a film about McDaniel). Why did Sean Penn, actor winner last year for “Milk,” serve up a milk shake of gibberish? The Standing O for wordless Lauren Bacall was like a fond, last farewell to her era. What was that gym-class “ballet” offered during the nominated scores? Oscar glamor was forever summarized by Jeff Bridge on the red carpet: “I’m all Gucci’d up.”

Final word from this glitzy corner: Go buy tickets to “The Hurt Locker.”

List of winners at the 82nd annual Academy Awards:

— Motion Picture: “The Hurt Locker.”

— Actor: Jeff Bridges, “Crazy Heart.”

— Actress: Sandra Bullock, “The Blind Side.”

— Supporting Actor: Christoph Waltz, “Inglourious Basterds.”

— Supporting Actress: Mo’Nique, “Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire.”

— Director: Kathryn Bigelow, “The Hurt Locker.”

— Foreign Film: “El Secreto de Sus Ojos,” Argentina.

— Adapted Screenplay: Geoffrey Fletcher, “Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire.”

— Original Screenplay: Mark Boal, “The Hurt Locker.”

— Animated Feature Film: “Up.”

— Art Direction: “Avatar.”

— Cinematography: “Avatar.”

— Sound Mixing: “The Hurt Locker.”

— Sound Editing: “The Hurt Locker.”

— Original Score: “Up,” Michael Giacchino.

— Original Song: “The Weary Kind (Theme From Crazy Heart)” from “Crazy Heart,” Ryan Bingham and T Bone Burnett.

— Costume: “The Young Victoria.”

— Documentary Feature: “The Cove.”

— Documentary (short subject): “Music by Prudence.”

— Film Editing: “The Hurt Locker.”

— Makeup: “Star Trek.”

— Animated Short Film: “Logorama.”

— Live Action Short Film: “The New Tenants.”

— Visual Effects: “Avatar.”

David Elliott is the SDNN movie critic. Associated Press contributed to this article.