Ta-da! La La Land dances its way to Bafta glory
OLD-time glamour won the day last night as hit musical La La Land scooped a haul of top prizes at the Baftas.
The box-office smash, starring Ryan Gosling as a jazz musician struggling to make ends meet, and Emma Stone as an aspiring actress, won five awards including Best Film after being nominated in 11 categories.
Damien Chazelle was honoured with the Director award for the film against competition from Ken Loach, Tom Ford, Denis Villeneuve and Kenneth Lonergan.
He told the ceremony in London: “Thank you to the academy, this is an incredible honour. One of the biggest pleasures of being here tonight is being able to be with and sit with some of the people I made the movie with.”
He thanked Justin Hurwitz, who won the Original Music Bafta for the movie earlier in the night.
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Emma, also awarded the Bafta for Leading Actress, spoke of a turbulent time facing the world in her acceptance speech.
She said: “I don’t know if you realise this, this country and the US, and the world seems to be going through a bit of a time, just a bit and in a time that is so divisive I think it’s really special we were all able to come together tonight, thanks to Bafta, and to celebrate the positive.”
The film also won an award for cinematography.
Casey Affleck won Leading Actor for gritty tragedy Manchester By The Sea, which also took the spoils in the best original screenplay.
Viola Davis won Best Supporting Actress for bluecollar drama Fences.
Prince William presented the Fellowship award to comedian Mel Brooks, saying: “Sadly Bafta have run out of actors, therefore I’ve been roped in.” He said of Brooks that he is an “extremely talented filmmaker composer and actor”.
Director Ken Loach, 80, won an Outstanding British film gong for I, Daniel Blake.
Loach’s film, which places life in the benefits system under the microscope, beat off competition from Denial, Notes On Blindness and the JK Rowling-penned Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them. He apologised for the “political” nature of his speech. He said: “Films can do many things, they can entertain, terrify, they can make us laugh and tell us something about the real world we live in.
“Sorry, it’s early for a political speech – and in that real world it’s getting darker and in the struggle that is coming between rich and poor and the wealthy and the privileged and the big corporations and politicians who speak for them. The rest of us on the other side – film makers know which side they are on and despite the glitz and glamour of occasions like this, we are with the people.”
UK-made Harry Potter spin-off Fantastic Beasts, which stars Oscar-winning actor Eddie Redmayne, clinched the production design accolade.
Former Skins star Dev Patel was also celebrating on the night after being awarded the Best Supporting Actor Bafta for his role in Lion.
Patel, who stars opposite Nicole Kidman, said: “This is so overwhelming, I sit at home and watch this with my family, who are here with me tonight, and it’s such an overwhelming feeling.”
The Rising Star award, the only Bafta voted for by the public, was handed to Tom Holland, who will star in the future Spider-Man Homecoming film.