Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie decided not to attend the Academy Awards ceremony on Sunday, even though Pitt's film, Babel, was nominated for Best Picture.

The low-key couple was seen strolling around their new hometown of New Orleans on Friday afternoon with daughters Shiloh and Zahara.

The pair decided to keep working on their respective projects and skip the glamorous ceremony in Los Angeles.

Jolie flew to Africa over the weekend to monitor the crisis in Darfur in her official capacity as a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nation's refugee agency.

Meanwhile, Pitt continued to shoot his film The Curious Case of Benjamin Button in New Orleans.

Pitt's parents flew in from Missouri to help the star look after his three young children while Jolie was away