Sally Hawkins
While there seem to have been some strong male performances in 2008 a string of talented young actresses, many of them British, have also been making a name for themselves.
FemaleFirst takes a look back over the year to uncover those who have left a real impression and what lies next for them.
Despite starting her career in 2005 Hayley Atwell’s career kicked into life earlier this year when she landed a role in Woody Allen's Cassandra's Dream alongside Colin Farrell and Ewan McGregor.
But it's her recent role in The Duchess as Bess Foster, the live in mistress to the Duke of Devonshire, that has really propelled her to fame. The Duchess was a critical and commercial hit in the UK as well as wining over audiences at the Toronto Film Festival.
She returned to the period drama just a month later with her role in the big screen adaptation of Brideshead Revisited with her role as Julia Flyte.
2009 looks set to be a busy year for the actress as she moves into television with the remake of The Prisoner with ITV as well as making her West End debut in A View From The Bridge.
Gemma Arterton burst onto the scene last Christmas as part of the St Trinians cast that enjoyed some major box office success during the festive period. But her career looks set to soar with her appearance as Agent Strawberry Fields in the latest Bond film Quantum of Solace.
As well as on the big screen she also had two very successful television series Lost in Austen, as Elizabeth Bennet for two episodes and Tess of the d'Urbervilles in the lead role.
Despite being a surprise choice to be one of Daniel Craig's Bond girls she will have more big budget success in 2010 with her role in the silver screen version of computer game Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time.
And 2009 sees her star in the Boat That Rocked, set in 1966 and tells of the United Kingdom pirate radio movement, which used a legal loophole to broadcast to audiences of up to 25 million from ships anchored off the coast of the UK, alongside Bill Nighy and Philip Seymour Hoffman.
Also making a splash this year is actress Sally Hawkins with her upbeat performance in Mike Leigh’s Happy Go Lucky.
Her performance as Poppy won her the Silver Bear for Best Actress at the Berlin film Festival earlier in the year and the film has captured the hearts of American audiences on the festival circuit leading to the actress, who has had with television drama Persuasion as well as Layer Cake and Vera Drake, to be currently surrounded in early Oscar whispers.
Her next role sees her part of an ensemble cast, which includes Rosamund Pike, Peter Sarsgaard and Alfred Molina, in An Education.
Also making a splash this year was American actress Ellen Page for her role as pregnant teen in Juno, a role which earnt her a Best Actress Oscar nomination, the film was also nominated for Best Picture.
Amanda Seyfried also lit up the summer box office as part of the ensemble cast of Mamma Mia. The film has gone on to become the sixth highest grossing movie of the year and the second highest grossing movie at the British box office of all time behind Titanic. FemaleFirst Helen Earnshaw