Steve McQueen talks about modern slavery as 12 Years A Slave wins best film; Cate Blanchett dedicates her BAFTA to Philip Seymour Hoffman; Barkhad Abdi says Greengrass believed in him before he believed in himself.
Host Stephen Fry welcomed the star-studded crowd by saying the BAFTAs are âthe greatest night of the British film calendar, if there is such a thing.â He joked that there were âfaces so familiar you want to lick them.â
He welcomed guests including Prince William, President of the Academy, into âthe plush womb of the resplendent Royal Opera Houseâ in Covent Garden, London.
Fry got Leonardo DiCaprio to blow a kiss into the camera.
Tinie Tempah and Laura Mvula kicked off the show with a duet of Heroes, and Tempah set the mood for a lively evening by high-five-ing Prince William.
Outstanding British Film
Oprah Winfrey, nominated for The Butler, presented the Outstanding British Film prize to Gravity.
Producer David Heyman said the prize was âbeyond belief and best of all it recognises everybody involved with the film, we had the most incredible crew on this film. And Framestore and the team who created the visual effects were incomparable.â
He also said âwe wouldnât be here without our wonderful director, Mr Alfonso Cuaron.â Cuaron added a hearty âgracias.â
British Shorts
British Short Film winner James W. Griffiths (alongside Sophie Venner) of Room 8 said âany one of [the fellow nominees] could have won, they were all fantastic.â He thanked Bombay Sapphire for funding the film.
British Short Animation winners were directors James Walker, Sarah Woolner and Yousif Al-Khalifa for Sleeping With The Fishes.
âI imainged this, but it was like a pipe dream,â Al-Khalifa said. Walker thanked the NFTS and its director NIk Powell.
Production Design
Catherine Martin and Beverley Dunn won the BAFTA for Production Design for their work on Baz Luhrmannâs The Great Gatsby.
- INTERVIEW: Catherine Martin
Fry lent Martin his reading glasses to read her list of thank-yous. âFilm is a profoundly collaborative artform, we stand on the shoulders of an incredible team, of more than 300,â Martin said.
âWe owe him [Luhrmann] an enormous debt of gratitudeâŠHe always follows his own heartâŠhe takes cinema to new places⊠[he is] a maverick who affords us the opportunity of truly doing our best work.â
Sound / Editing
The Gravity team winning the Sound BAFTA started with Glenn Freemantle joking, âthey said thereâs no sound in space but here we are.â He paid tribute to the support of David Heyman and Warner Bros.
The Editing prize went to Rushâs Dan Hanley and Mike Hill. Director Ron Howard picked up the prize on their behalf.
- INTERVIEW: Ron Howard
âThe editors wanted me to make it clear that Iâve got them locked to the Avids on the next movie theyâre making [Heart of The Sea],â Howard said. âThey thought this was the most challenging movie that weâd ever undertakenâŠit was a labour of love.â
He joked, âI think theyâd thank me, there would be tears, you should be glad they arenât here. This award says I should be thanking them for the creative energy they bring to every project, especially Rush.â
Documentary
America-born, Denmark-based filmmaker Joshua Oppenheimer accepted the BAFTA for Best Documentary, The Act of Killing.
He said: âThank you everyone who worked on The Act of Killing, in the UK, in Denmark, in Indonesia. The film is starting to catalyse a change for how Indonesia talks about its past.â
He asked Western governments to take responsibility to their role in these crimes. He dedicated the award to his Indonesian co-director who worked on the project for eight years.
Make-Up and Hair / Costumes
The American Hustle Make-Up and Hair team, inexplicably snubbed for an Oscar nomination, landed the BAFTA thanked their colleagues in costumes and director David O Russell.
The trio, Evelyne Noraz, Lori McCoy-Bell and Kathrine Gordon, thanked the actors for âsitting for days and hoursâ in their trailer for the elaborate looks.
- FEATURE: American Hustle
Catherine Martin became a double winner for Costumes for The Great Gatsby.
She thanked her assistant costume designer Whitney Anne Adams who has collaborated for 16 years, as well as the filmâs hair and make up team for âdoing an amazing job.â
âI am very lucky that the wardrobe department I have worked with for more than 20 years, I call them my Golden Girls.â
Original Music
Gravity won the Original Music BAFTA for Steven Price, who said âAlfonso [Cuaron] shared every second of this.â
He added: âThank you to my mum and dad for having such an amazing record collection when I was growing up.â
Animated Film
Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee thanked their 600-strong crew when they collected their Animated Film BAFTA for Frozen.
Lee remembered John Lasseter singing Let it Go during production.
Outstanding Debut
Steve Coogan, who joked about being a young turk with a pager on his belt 25 years ago, presented Outstanding Debut to a surprised Kieran Evans for Kelly + Victor.
- REVIEW: Kelly + Victor
âI was definitely not expecting this,â said Evans. He thanked producer Janine Marmot for sticking by him for eight years, as well as Warpâs Peter Carlton and Robin Gutch, plus Colin Burch and Julia Short at Verve.
He also thanked the city of Liverpool for inspiring the film. He thanked his mum for introducing him to Hitchcock films and his dad for driving him to art college.
Supporting Actor / Actress
Kicking off the acting prizes, a surprise Supporting Actor win went to newcomer Barkhad Abdi, who won for Captain Phillips.
He thanked Paul Greengrass âfor believing in me before I believed in myself.â
He added: âI want to thank Tom Hanks for everything,â and shot a big grin in Hanksâ direction. He thanked his fellow actors that played the other Somali pirates, âwe came from nothing,â said the Somali-born Minnesota resident.
- INTERVIEW: Tom Hanks & Barkhad Abdi
- FEATURE: Captain Phillips
The Supporting Actress BAFTA went to Jennifer Lawrence for American Hustle.
The actress couldnât attend the London ceremony because of her shooting schedule. Director David O Russell said it was a huge honour for her, and she wanted to thank the producers and her co-stars and the writers.
âHereâs to the great privilege of telling stories,â he added.
Cinematography / Contribution
The Cinematography honours went to Emmanuel Lubezki for Gravity.
Alfonso Cuaron accepted on his behalf, thanking âSandy [Bullock] for giving this film a soul and a beautiful face.â He thanked âthe Framestore nerds for making the space adventure possible.â
The Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema was presented by Juliet Stevenson to filmmaker Peter Greenaway.
âWorking with him in 1987 Drowning by Numbers, I found myself stretched to my limits in many interesting ways,â she recalled.
Stevenson called him âvisionary and inspirationalâŠhe seems to relish going to edgesâŠ.he has no time for convention or orthodoxy.â She added: âHis films perplex, bedazzle, provoke and seduce.â
Greenaway said: âIâm very surprised to receive [this award].â He said he saw it as an encouragement to âpeople who believe cinema has to continually be reinvented.â
Screenplay awards
The Original Screenplay BAFTA went to Eric Warren Singer and David O Russell for American Hustle.
Singer said: âI was breastfeed from a very young age on British cinema, it was a huge part of my life, so thank you BAFTA.â
Russell thanked Singer for bringing him the story. He added: âI have to thank the actors who itâs been my privilege to work with. I write for them, they inspire me, they make me write better and do everything better. Itâs their humanity.â
Fry later corrected Russellâs grammar, saying he should have said âwith whom it was a great privilege to work.â
The Adapted Screenplay BAFTA was awarded to another surprise winner, Steve Coogan and Jeff Pope for Philomena.
- INTERVIEW: Steve Coogan
Coogan said: âThis story started four years ago with a newspaper article.â He thanked Martin Sixsmith and the real Philomena Lee, âher story has been told, she has been heard, but there are 60,000 women who lost their children and their story is not over.â
He thanked the âdream teamâ including director Stephen Frears, Patheâs Cameron McCracken, producer Gaby Tana and his âdream cast choiceâ Judi Dench.
Pope thanked BBC Filmsâ Christine Langan for bringing him together with Coogan.
Rising Star
The EE BAFTA Rising Star Award, voted on by the public, was accepted by recent Screen International Star of Tomorrow Will Poulter (Son of Rambow, Weâre The Millers).
âGenunitely this is such a huge honour, Iâm so grateful for EE and BAFTA and all the members of hte public who voted,â he said.
Being considered among fellow nominees Dane DeHaan, George MacKay, Lupita Nyongâo, and Lea Seydoux, he said: âIâm geniune fan of all your work.â
VFX
Gravity won the BAFTA for Special Visual Effects, for Tim Webber, Chris Lawrence, David Shirk, Neil Corbould and Nikki Penny.
âOn paper this film was a crazy idea,â Webber noted. âMassive thanks to all the crew at Framestore for all their incredible talent and incredible dedication to this.â
He thanked George Clooney and Sandra Bullock, âwithout their amazing performances all the visual effects in the world would have been pointless.â
He remarked on Cuaronâs âunbelievable courage and determinationâ in getting Gravity made.
- INTERVIEW: Chris Parks, stereo supervisor, Gravity
Film Not In The English Language
BAFTA honoured Paolo Sorrentinoâs The Great Beauty for Film Not In The English Language, adding to its Golden Globes win.
Italian filmmaker Sorrentino thanked lead actor Toni Servillo and all the other actors and crew and dedicated his award to late director Carlo Mazzacurati.
Actor / Actress
The Leading Actor prize went to Chewitel Ejiofor for 12 Years A Slave.
He got the nightâs biggest round of applause thus far, and a wolf whistle from Tom Hanks. Ejiofor said âIâm so deeply honoured and privileged to receive it.â
He thanked director Steve McQueen âfor his passion, his artistryâŠthis is yours, by the way. I know that, you know that, Iâm going to keep it, but itâs yours.â
He also thanked his castmates as an âextraordinary groupâŠeverybody brought an extraordinary passion.â
- FEATURE: 12 Years A Slave
The Leading Actress award went to Cate Blanchett for Blue Jasmine,as widely predicted.
âJasmine was the most extraordinary opportunity for an actress,â she said. âIt was such a gamechanger for me.â
She dedicated the award to âan actor who is a continual touchstone for meâŠthe late, great Philip Seymour Hoffman.
âPhil, your monumental talent, your generosity and your search for truth⊠will be missed not just by meâŠYou raised the bar continuallyâŠThis is for you, you bastard, I hope youâre proud.â
Best Director
Gravityâs Alfonso Cuaron was named Best Director.
He said: âYou cannot tell from my accent but I consider myself a part of the British film industry.
âIâve lived in London part of the last 13 years and Iâve made half my films here. I guess I am a good case for curbing immigration.â
He thanked Sandra Bullock, âwithout her performance everything would have been nonsense.â
âI want to share this award with all the artists that live âdownstairsâ and made this film possible,â including the teams at Framestore and Warner Bros. He called producer David Heyman his âfriend and partnerâ.
Best Film
The nightâs top award, Best Film, was presented to 12 Years A Slave.
Steve McQueen thanked his mother for never giving up, and paid tribute for his cast, in particular Lupita Nyongâo of whom he said âa star is born.â
He said there are â21 million people enslavedâ that the world cannot ignore and that hopefully in 150 years another filmmaker would not have to tell a similar story.
Producer Dede Gardner dedicated the award to the descendants of Solomon Northup, the real-life subject of the film.
- FEATURE: 12 Years A Slave
Backstage, McQueen said: âThe way the public here has supported the pictureâŠit means a hell of a lot,â and that he grew up watching the BAFTA ceremony on TV.
Brad Pitt said: âWeâre just so proud of the filmâŠweâre very proud of our work here, it means a lot to us because of the people we got to work with.â âMost of all itâs a story that says weâre all the same, and freedom and dignity are everything,â he added.
BAFTA Fellowship
Prince William joked that he should call Helen Mirren âgrannyâ as he and Jeremy Irons presented Mirren with the BAFTA Fellowship.
âShe is one hell of a dame, of course she should be a BAFTA fellow, anything else would be an oversight,â Irons said.
Mirren, who received a standing ovation, said: âMy journey to this placeâŠbegan with a great teacher, Alys Welding, who died two weeks ago at the age of 102. She introduced me to the world of literatureâŠIâm standing up her thanking Mrs Welding and all the great teachers who have inspired the many great people sitting here in this room.â
She thanked everyone from directors to the people who run the honeywagon on set. âI thank you all, all of you, from my past.â
She quoted Shakespeare: âOur revels now are ended. These our actors, As I foretold you, were all spirits, and are melted into air, into thin air: And like the baseless fabric of this vision, The cloud-cappâd towârs, the gorgeous palaces, The solemn temples, the great globe itself, Yea, all which it inherit, shall dissolve, And, like this insubstantial pageant faded, Leave not a rack behind. We are such stuff As dreams are made on; and our little life Is rounded with a sleep.â
She added: âMy little life is rounded with this honour.â
Backstage, she added: âI take it as a sign of encouragement to carry on.â
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