British artists honour their own
BAFTA Film Awards voters choose to recognize mostly homegrown talent
“In a year where we haven't been able to go anywhere, the magic of film has transported us everywhere,” was the caption that opened Sunday's BAFTA Film Awards. But as they were filling out their ballots over the last few weeks, the British academy 's 7,000 members evidently had set their hearts and minds on matters closer to home. Rather than simply trying to pre-empt the Oscars — a depressing 21st-century BAFTA trend — voters chose time and again to recognize developing talent from the U.K. over their more established Hollywood peers.
The Oscar front-runner Nomadland did very nicely for itself, thank you very much, winning both best film and best director — a feat which Chloé Zhao's lyrical drama about a widow searching for work in the American heartlands is widely expected to repeat at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood later this month.
But much of the rest of the ceremony was a welcome celebration of blossoming British names — not least Nomadland's own Cornish director of photography, Joshua James Richards, who triumphed in best cinematography over industry veterans Sean Bobbitt, Alwin H. Küchler and Dariusz Wolski (and another relative newcomer, Erik Messerschmidt).
The London-born Daniel Kaluuya took best supporting actor for his performance as the Black Panther leader Fred Hampton in the Civil Rights conspiracy thriller Judas and the Black Messiah, while best original screenplay went to a clearly stunned Emerald Fennell, the 35-year-old writer and director of the #Metoo-themed dark comedy Promising Young Woman, who emerged victorious from an eclectic shortlist, which included Hollywood screenwriting giant Aaron Sorkin.
“I thought I'd do a better speech than this,” Fennell blustered, with more than a hint of Olivia Colman: truly, she's a BAFTA creature through and through.
Fennell had collected herself moments later, though, when Promising Young Woman was also named outstanding British film. “It was a labour of love,” she said. “There are so many people I'd like to thank — I'd like to go to all of your houses and kiss you, which I obviously can't for a number of reasons.”
There was a big, sloppy industry smooch, too, for a Welsh talent whose name may ring a bell. At 83, Anthony Hopkins became the oldest male performer in BAFTA history to have been awarded best actor for his work in The Father — and, as a three-time winner, pulled level with Marlon Brando and Jack Lemmon in the most-rewarded stakes. (The trio have been recognized three times apiece; though Peter Finch, with five, still leads the pack.)
Bizarrely, Sir Anthony was nowhere to be seen on the Zoom-call gallery of nominees, even though he was apparently in front of his laptop. And the now two-time winner Frances Mcdormand, who took best actress for Nomadland, was also represented by a static publicity mug shot, which must have been a little dispiriting for her fellow nominees, dressed in red carpet finery in front of their webcams.
It put the Oscars' own admirable determination to hold a Zoom-free ceremony in two weeks into perspective: even blippy video footage would be preferable to an acceptance speech submitted by email.