The 75th EE BAFTAs took to BBC One on Sunday evening in London’s Royal Albert Hall. Whilst Denis Villeneuve’s science-fiction epic Dune garnered the most awards at the ceremony, the variety of winners and nominees meant few films went home completely empty-handed.
Although last year’s BAFTAs were streamed live to audiences at home, this year’s ceremony found itself returning to normality with a jam-packed evening of awards presented in-person for the first time in two years. Comedy actor Rebel Wilson hosted the proceedings, focusing on the best achievements in film over the past year (along with a few awkward jokes, as is traditional). Opening to a spectacular performance of ‘Diamonds are Forever’ from Dame Shirley Bassey, the BAFTAs drew upon the global success of the British film industry, highlighting the outstanding talent of all those nominated and reminding everyone of the importance of film upon our return to cinema after the COVID-19 pandemic forced theatres to close their doors.
Dune earned itself the most accolades at the ceremony, winning five awards including Best Cinematography and Original Score. Whilst it was pipped at the post by Jane Campion’s The Power of the Dog for the evening’s coveted Best Film award, Villeneuve’s blockbuster was celebrated as a champion of the return of cinema. The importance of streaming platforms and their support offered to filmmakers was also an integral part of the evening, as both The Power of the Dog and Sian Heder’s CODA were released to Netflix and Apple TV+ respectively. CODA shone as an unexpected star of the evening, winning both Best Supporting Actor for Troy Kotsur and Best Adapted Screenplay. The film’s star Emilia Jones, who was also nominated for the award for Best Leading Actress, performed the film’s feature song ‘Both Sides Now’ with BSL and ASL interpreters.
British cinema’s reliance on support from the likes of the BBC, BFI, National Lottery and other funding and production bodies was brought to light by After Love Best Actress winner Joanna Scalan and Outstanding British Film Belfast director Sir Kenneth Brannagh, with Brannagh stating “all hail the big screen” to rapturous applause. Lashana Lynch took away the EE Rising Star Award, adding to No Time To Die‘s sole other win in the Best Editing category.
With only two weeks to go until the Oscars ceremony on 28 March, the BAFTAs may offer a small taste of what is to come. See the full list of nominees and winners here.
Words by Katie Evans
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