It’s bent for the Oscars, right? After the Golden Globes in January and the Directors Guild of America on Saturday, The Power of the Dog by Jane Campion continues her collection of awards with the prizes for best film and best director on Sunday at the Bafta, a ceremony marked by messages of support for Ukrainians.
The New Zealand director was absent from the Royal Albert Hall in London, but her producer Tanya Seghatchian paid tribute to her, calling her “a visionary who has marked the last thirty years of cinema”. She becomes the third woman to win the Bafta for best director after China’s Chloé Zhao last year for nomadland and the American Kathryn Bigelow in 2009 for Minesweepers.
Bafta and other academies in Europe stand with Ukraine
After an awards ceremony without an audience last year due to the pandemic, it was the war in Ukraine that marked the 75th Bafta ceremony. The Russian invasion “shocked the world with images and stories telling of a truly horrific and heartbreaking situation,” said British Academy President Krishnendu Majumdar at the start of the ceremony. The Bafta and other film academies in Europe stand with Ukraine and “we share the hope for a return to peace”, he added.
On the red carpet, some stars wore badges or ribbons in the colors of the Ukrainian flag, including actor Benedict Cumberbatch who said he was “doing what he could” to house refugees from Ukraine, after the British government called residents to welcome Ukrainians into their homes on Sunday.
A middle finger to Vladimir Putin
Presenting the award for best direction, Andy Serkis criticized UK Home Secretary Priti Patel over the handling of the crisis, saying Ms Patel’s latest film “All refugees are welcome but some are more welcome than others “is total hell”. Australian actress Rebel Wilson, who presented the ceremony, for her part gave the finger of honor to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“Fortunately, in all sign languages, it’s a gesture for Putin,” she said, introducing Emilia Jones who was singing dubbed in sign language. Emilia Jones was nominated for Best Actress for her performance in Coda of a teenager passionate about music, the only hearing person in a deaf family. Coda, American remake of the French film The Aries Family has also entered the history of the Bafta, Troy Kotsur becoming the first deaf actor to win a prize there, that of the best male supporting role. “I think it’s great that you recognize my work on the other side of the ocean, it’s really incredible,” he reacted as he received his award, his interpreter by his side.
Disappointment for the big favorite “Dune”
American actor Will Smith was crowned best actor for his portrayal of the father and coach of tennis champion sisters Serena and Venus Williams in The Williams Methodwhile Englishwoman Joanna Scanlan won Best Actress for After Love, where she plays a woman discovering the secrets of her dead husband. Joanna Scanlan paid tribute by receiving the award to her husband, “living proof that there is noAfter Love “.
Disappointment for Dunes, adaptation of Frank Herbert’s science fiction novel by Denis Villeneuve, which did not win any of the most prestigious awards. The space opera had amassed eleven nominations (the record this year) and leaves London with five awards, notably for special effects, original music and cinematography. Also nominated for Best Picture, Belfastin which Kenneth Branagh pays homage to his hometown, retracing the journey of a kid from Northern Ireland traumatized by the civil war and who finds refuge in the cinema, walks away with the prize for best British film.
Among the other prizes awarded, American actress Ariana Debose won the Bafta for Best Supporting Actress for West Side Storywhile Drive My Car, by Japanese Ryusuke Hamaguchi, won the prize for best foreign language film. Named in particular for the best film and the best direction, Licorice Pizza by Paul Thomas Anderson walks away with the prize for best original screenplay.