‘Conclave’ and ‘Brutalist’ share BAFTA honors

Papal thriller “Conclave” and immigrant epic “The Brutalist” on Sunday tied for top honors at Britain’s BAFTA awards with each film picking up four coveted gongs. “Conclave”, directed by German-born Edward Berger, won the BAFTA for the best film with its tale of the intrigue and horse-trading behind the scenes during the election of a new pope. Accepting the award, Berger recalled the journey to make the film took seven years, paying tribute to British screenplay writer Peter Straughan’s “wonderful script” and lead actor Ralph Fiennes.

US filmmaker Brady Corbet took the BAFTA for best director for “The Brutalist”, while leading man Adrien Brody scooped up the best actor gong for his portrayal of a Hungarian Holocaust survivor and architect who emigrates to the United States. Brody told a winners press conference that the film was “an opportunity for me to honor my own ancestral struggles”. In “a film that speaks to tremendous cruelty and despicable behavior in our past... we see elements existing today that can guide us and remind us of that,” he added.

Veteran British actor Fiennes, who played a cardinal in “Conclave”, once again saw his hopes of winning a BAFTA gong dashed, losing out to Brody in the race for the honor. Scandal-hit “Emilia Perez”, a surreal musical about a Mexican druglord who transitions to a woman, had been heavily favored at the beginning of the year. But it ended the evening with just two BAFTAs, including one for Zoe Saldana for best supporting actress. Until last month, French director Jacques Audiard’s movie had been expected to be a frontrunner having won 11 nominations.

Swiss film director Ian Bonhote, US film producer Peter Ettedgui, British documentary producer Lizzie Gillett and film producer Robert Ford pose with the award for Best documentary for "Super/Man : The Christopher Reeve Story".

Dutch animator Nina Gantz, producer Stienette Bosklopper, filmmaker Simon Cartwright and producer Maarten Swart pose with the award for Best British short animation for "Wander to Wonder".

US costume designer Paul Tazewell poses with the award for Best costume design for "Wicked".

British visual effects supervisor Paul Lambert, Canadian visual effects artist Stephen James, German visual effects artist Gerd Nefzer and visual effect Rhys Salcombe pose with the award for Best special visual effects for "Dune : Part Two".

US actor and screenwriter Jesse Eisenberg poses with the award for Best original screenplay for "A Real Pain".

US movie director and screenwriter Sean Baker (right) and producer Samantha Quan pose with the award for Best casting for "Anora".

British cinematographer Lol Crawley poses with the award for Best cinematography for "The Brutalist".

British movie editor Nick Emerson poses with the award for Best editing for "Conclave".

US singer and actor Vanessa Williams poses on the red carpet.

British production designer Nathan Crowley and British production designer Lee Sandales pose with the award for Best Production Design for "Wicked".

Sound engineer Ron Bartlett and sound editor Gareth John pose with the award for Best sound for "Dune: Part Two".

US actress Mikey Madison poses with the award for Best leading actress for "Anora".

US director Brady Corbet poses with the award for Best director for "The Brutalist".

British writer and movie director Rich Peppiatt (second left) and Irish hip hop trio Kneecap poses with the award for Best Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, director or producer "Kneecap".

US actor and musician Jeff Goldblum.

But old racist and Islamophobic tweets by lead actor Karla Sofia Gascon surfaced at the end of January, shaking up the race just before the London ceremony and the Oscars on March 2. A surprise of the night was the BAFTA for best actress which went to 25-year-old Mikey Madison for her portrayal of a sex worker in the black comedy “Anora” about an erotic dancer’s whirlwind romance gone wrong. Madison, who beat out frontrunner Demi Moore, told reporters she wanted to dedicate the award to “the sex worker community, I see you, you deserve respect and human dignity”.

Glitzy evening

Although they can often set the tone for the Oscars, the BAFTAs -- the biggest night of the year for the British film industry -- regularly diverge from the films favored by the Academy Awards in Los Angeles. “Emilia Perez” director Audiard, in accepting the BAFTA for best film not in the English language, thanked all his stars, including “dear” Gascon who did not attend the ceremony amid the scandal surrounding her past tweets.

US actor Adrien Brody and Fashion designer Georgina Chapman.

British actor Cynthia Erivo

Mexican-born Kenyan US actress Lupita Nyong'o.

British filmmaker and animator Nick Park, British director Merlin Crossingham, British producer Richard Beek and US singer-songwriter Camila Cabello pose with the award for Best children and family film for "Wallace and Gromit: Vengeance most fowl".

Camila Cabello US singer-songwriter poses with a Gromit figurine in the winners room.

British music composer Daniel Blumberg poses with the award for Best original score for "The Brutalist".

Make-up artist Pierre-Olivier Persin, make-up artist Stephanie Guillon, hair and make-up artist Frederique Arguello and hair stylist Marilyne Scarselli pose with the award for Best make up and hair for "The Substance".

Guyanese-British actor Letitia Wright (left) gestures to British actor David Jonsson holding the award for Best EE Rising Star.

British actor Warwick Davis poses with the BAFTA fellowship Award.

Adrien Brody accepts the Best Actor award for "The Brutalist" onstage.

US-Domenican actress Zoe Saldana poses with the award for Best supporting actress for "Emilia Perez".

French movie director Jacques Audiard poses with the award for Best film not in English language for "Emilia Perez".

British Actor Felicity Jones

US actor Demi Moore

British screenwriter Peter Straughan poses with the award for Best adapted screenplay for "Conclave".

Nigerian-British actor Wunmi Wunmi Mosaku and British actor Shazad Latif.

British German director Edward Berger (third left) Italian actor Isabella Rossellini (fourth left) and British actor Ralph Fiennes (fourth right) pose with the award for Best film for "Conclave".

Moore, Timothee Chalamet and Ariana Grande were also at the glitzy evening hosted by “Doctor Who” and “Good Omens” star David Tennant, but all left empty-handed. Best supporting actor went to “Succession” star Kieran Culkin for his role in “A Real Pain” about Jewish American cousins who tour Poland in honor of their grandmother. The film also garnered the best original screenplay for Jesse Eisenberg. Saldana, who won a Golden Globe last month for her role as the sassy lawyer in “Emilia Perez”, said she was dedicating her BAFTA award to her trans nephew. “They are the reason I signed to do the film in the first place”, she said.

“Conclave” also picked up awards for outstanding British film, editing and best adapted screenplay, while “The Brutalist” took awards for cinematography and original score. “Wicked” picked up two BAFTAs for costume and production design, while Rich Peppiatt who wrote “Kneecap”, a docu-drama about an audacious trio of Northern Irish rappers, won for an outstanding debut by a British writer. “Dune: Part Two” won BAFTAs for both special visual effects and best sound.

To huge cheers from the audience, “Wallace and Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl” picked up two BAFTAs for best animated feature and best Children’s and Family Film. France’s Coralie Fargeat was the only woman nominated in the directing category, for “The Substance”, which in the end picked up just one BAFTA for hair and make-up. - AFP

BEST FILM

Conclave

OUTSTANDING BRITISH FILM

Conclave

BEST DIRECTOR

Brady Corbert, The Brutalist

BEST LEADING ACTRESS

Mikey Madison, Anora

BEST LEADING ACTOR

Adrien Brody, The Brutalist

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Zoe Saldaña, Emilia Pérez