Source : PERTHNOW NEWS
One Battle After Another cemented its status as the Oscar frontrunner after picking up six gongs, including best film at the British Academy of Film and Television Arts awards.
But it was the exciting upset in the best lead actor category that electrified the room.
British actor Robert Aramayo beat out heavy hitters including Timothee Chalamet, Leonardo DiCaprio and Ethan Hawke in claiming the win for his performance in I Swear, a Scottish biopic about a man with severe Tourette’s syndrome. The film will be released in Australia in late March.
Aramayo, probably best known to audiences outside the UK for playing the young version of Ned Stark in Game of Thrones and elf Elrond in The Rings of Power, was more shocked than anyone else.
Grasping for breath as he started his speech, Aramayo said, “I absolutely can’t believe this, I can’t believe I’m looking at people like (DiCaprio) and I’m in the same category and never mind that I’m stood here”.
He also gave a special shoutout to Hawke. “When I was in school, Ethan Hawke came in to speak to us at Julliard and he gave an amazing talk about longevity as an actor, about protecting your instrument and avoiding self-destructive behaviours.
“It had a great impact on everyone in the room, so to be in this category with you tonight is incredible. Thank you, Ethan.”
The BAFTAs is sometimes accused of being too lock-step with the American awards so, to see Aramayo win in such a high-profile category over big names from across the Atlantic was a huge triumph. He also picked up an award for Rising Star, which is publicly voted.
There were also surprises in the best supporting acting races, with Sean Penn (One Battle After Another) picking up the victory in actor and Wunmi Mosaku (Sinners) in actress. Neither were the expected winners, but Mosaku is British, so may have had a home-field advantage over frontrunner Teyana Taylor (One Battle After Another).
The BAFTAs and the Oscars have some cross-over in the voting bodies so the surprising winners here signal that the Oscars aren’t as presumptive for Taylor and Stellan Skarsgard (Sentimental Value) as expected.
Jessie Buckley (Hamnet) won the best leading actress award, beating out Australian contender Rose Byrne (If I Had Legs I’d Kick You).
One Battle After Another also won for best director and best adapted screenplay for Paul Thomas Anderson, best editing and best cinematography.
In accepting best film, Anderson said, “This is a tremendous honour. I’m well aware of the other films that share this gift of an award and anybody who says movies aren’t good anymore, you can piss right off because this is a great f—king year.
“I know there’s a bar somewhere and I think we should all go there because it’s been a long evening but we have so much to celebrate, we have a line from Nina Simone that we stole in our film. She says, ‘I know what freedom is and it’s no fear’, so let’s keeping making things without fear if it’s a good idea. See you at the bar.”
Sinners picked up three awards in total and in addition to Mosaku, it also won for best original screenplay for Ryan Coogler and best original score for Ludwig Goransson.
EJAE, Audrey Nuna and Rei Ami, the singing voices behind Huntr/x, the fictional band in KPop Demon Hunters, did their first live performance outside of the US number with a rousing rendition of Golden. It was a way to still include KPop Demon Hunters in the ceremony because the film was ineligible to be nominated as it did not meet cinema release requirements in the UK.
As the president of BAFTA, Prince William attended the ceremony with his wife, Catherine, Princess of Wales, but no mention was made of his uncle Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s arrest on suspicion of misconduct in public office.
However, a comment Prince William made that he had not seen Hamnet because he needed to be “in quite a calm state and I am not at the moment” has been read as a reference to the turbulent time for the royal family.
Best Film
- Hamnet
- Marty Supreme
- One Battle After Another – WINNER
- Sentimental Value
- Sinners
Outstanding British Film
- 28 Years Later
- The Ballad of Wallis Island
- Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy
- Die My Love
- H is for Hawk
- Hamnet – WINNER
- I Swear
- Mr Burton
- Pillion
- Steve
Best Leading Actress
- Jessie Buckley, Hamnet – WINNER
- Rose Byrne, If I Had Legs I’d Kick You
- Kate Hudson, Song Sung Blue
- Chase Infiniti, One Battle After Another
- Renate Reinsve, Sentimental Value
- Emma Stone, Bugonia
Best Leading Actor
- Robert Aramayo, I Swear – WINNER
- Timothee Chalamet, Marty Supreme
- Leonardo DiCaprio, One Battle After Another
- Ethan Hawke, Blue Moon
- Michael B. Jordan, Sinners
- Jesse Plemons, Bugonia
Best Supporting Actress
- Odessa A’zion, Marty Supreme
- Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas, Sentimental Value
- Wunmi Mosaku, Sinners – WINNER
- Carey Mulligan, The Ballad of Wallis Island
- Teyana Taylor, One Battle After Another
- Emily Watson, Hamnet
Best Supporting Actor
- Benicio del Toro, One Battle After Another
- Jacob Elordi, Frankenstein
- Paul Mescal, Hamnet
- Peter Mullan, I Swear
- Sean Penn, One Battle After Another – WINNER
- Stellan Skarsgard, Sentimental Value
Best Director
- Yorgos Lanthimos, Bugonia
- Chloe Zhao, Hamnet
- Josh Safdie, Marty Supreme
- Paul Thomas Anderson, One Battle After Another – WINNER
- Joachim Trier, Sentimental Value
- Ryan Coogler, Sinners
Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer
- The Ceremony
- My Father’s Shadow – WINNER
- Pillion
- A Want in Her
- Wasteman
Best Film not in the English Language
- It Was Just An Accident
- The Secret Agent
- Sentimental Value – WINNER
- Sirat
- The Voice of Hind Rajab
Best Documentary
- 2000 Metres to Andriivka
- Apocalypse in the Tropics
- Cover-Up
- Mr Nobody Against Putin – WINNER
- The Perfect Neighbour
Best Animated Film
- Elio
- Little Amelie
- Zootropolis 2 – WINNER
Best Children’s and Family Film
- Aeco
- Boong – WINNER
- Lilo & Stitch
- Zootropolis 2
Best Original Screenplay
- I Swear
- Marty Supreme
- The Secret Agent
- Sentimental Value
- Sinners – WINNER
Best Adapted Screenplay
- The Ballad of Wallis Island
- Bugonia
- Hamnet
- One Battle After Another – WINNER
- Pillion
Best Casting
- I Swear – WINNER
- Marty Supreme
- One Battle After Another
- Sentimental Value
- Sinners
Best Cinematography
- Frankenstein
- Marty Supreme
- One Battle After Another – WINNER
- Sinners
- Train Dreams
Best Editing
- F1
- A House of Dynamite
- Marty Supreme
- One Battle After Another – WINNER
- Sinners
Best Costume Design
- Frankenstein – WINNER
- Hamnet
- Marty Supreme
- Sinners
- Wicked: For Good
Best Hair and Makeup
- Frankenstein – WINNER
- Hamnet
- Marty Supreme
- Sinners
- Wicked: For Good
Best Original Score
- Bugonia
- Frankenstein
- Hamnet
- One Battle After Another
- Sinners – WINNER
Best Production Design
- Frankenstein – WINNER
- Hamnet
- Marty Supreme
- One Battle After Another
- Sinners
Best Sound
- F1 – WINNER
- Frankenstein
- One Battle After Another
- Sinners
- Warfare
Best Special Visual Effects
- Avatar: Fire and Ash – WINNER
- F1
- Frankenstein
- How to Train Your Dragon
- The Lost Bus
Best British Short Animation
- Cardboard
- Solstice
- Two Black Boys in Paradise
Best British Short Film
- Magid/Zafar
- Nostalgie
- Terence
- This Is Endometriosis – WINNER
- Welcome Home Freckles
Rising Star Award (Public voted)
- Robert Aramayo – WINNER
- Miles Caton
- Chase Infiniti
- Archie Madekwe
- Posy Sterling
