After starting out well in the Movie Awards Season by picking up 3 Golden Globes ‘BOYHOOD’ was on the fast track form some Oscar, but then it got derailed at the Guild Awards by ‘BIRDMAN’ who took all the top prizes.
That is until last night at the 68th BAFTA Awards when BOYHOOD came out on top by winning Best Picture, Best Director and Best Supporting Actress proving yet once again that the British Academy truly has a mind of it’s own. It doesn’t mean that Boyhood is now a shoo in for the BEST PICTURE OSCAR, but director Richard Linklater must be taking some comfort that for the past 6 years the BAFTA winner has also snared the big Hollywood Award too.
In front of a star-studded audience in London’s Royal Opera House newly married STEPHEN FRY oversaw an evening that brought it’s share of surprises and some very well deserved winners. The unstoppable EDDIE REDMAYNE picked up yet another BEST ACTOR AWARD for his powerful performance in THE THEORY OF EVERYTHING, also named BEST BRITISH FILM, and this time Professor STEPHEN HAWKINS the man he portrayed was in the audience. Equally satisfying was JACK O’CONNELL’s RISING STAR AWARD after a rather sensational year starring in STARRED UP, “71, and Angelique Jolie’s UNBROKEN.
The big winner of the night was Wes Anderson’s THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL picking up 5 craft BAFTAS, and a delighted Laura Poitras picked up the BEST DOCUMENTARY AWARD for her stunning movie CITIZENFOUR. We are also proud of the fact that the movie PRIDE, the true story of gay activists who stood shoulder to shoulder with Welsh miners during the strike of 1984/85 won a BAFTA for Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer. Stephen Beresford accepting the award said that took him twenty years to persuade anyone the story’s elements, “were the ingredients for a sure fire comedy smash”. He added, “We do incredible things when we stand together – unite.”
WINNERS
Best film
Boyhood Richard Linklater, Cathleen Sutherland
Best actress
Julianne Moore Still Alice
Best actor
Eddie Redmayne The Theory of Everything
Best director
Richard Linklater Boyhood
EE rising star award (voted for by the public)
Jack O’Connell
Best costume design
The Grand Budapest Hotel Milena Canonero
Best adapted screenplay
The Theory of Everything Anthony McCarten
Best film not in the English language
Ida Paweł Pawlikowski, Eric Abraham, Piotr Dzięcioł, Ewa Puszczynska
Best original screenplay
The Grand Budapest Hotel Wes Anderson
Outstanding debut by a British writer, director or producer
Stephen Beresford (writer), David Livingstone (producer) Pride
Best cinematography
Emmanuel Lubezki Birdman
Best supporting actress
Patricia Arquette Boyhood
Best supporting actor
JK Simmons Whiplash
Best special visual effects
Interstellar Paul Franklin, Scott Fisher, Andrew Lockley
Best animated film
The Lego Movie Phil Lord, Christopher Miller
Best sound
Whiplash Thomas Curley, Ben Wilkins, Craig Mann
Best editing
Whiplash Tom Cross
Best short animation
The Bigger Picture Chris Hees, Daisy Jacobs, Jennifer Majka
Best short film
Boogaloo and Graham Brian J Falconer, Michael Lennox, Ronan Blaney
Best makeup and hair
The Grand Budapest Hotel Frances Hannon, Mark Coulier
Best production design
The Grand Budapest Hotel Adam Stockhausen, Anna Pinnock
Best documentary
Citizenfour Laura Poitras
Best original music
The Grand Budapest Hotel Alexandre Desplat
Outstanding British film
The Theory of Everything James Marsh, Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Lisa Bruce, Anthony McCarten
Bafta Fellowship (announced earlier)
Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema (announced earlier)
BBC Films