LONDON — The papal thriller, Conclave, secured four BAFTAs, including Best Picture, at the 78th British Academy Film Awards. The genre-bending musical, [Musical Title], defied negative press and remained a strong awards contender.
No single film dominated the ceremony. [Musical Title] and Conclave both won four awards. [Musical Title]’s wins included Best Director (Brady Corbet) and Best Actor (Adrien Brody). Mikey Madison received the Best Actress award for her role in the Brooklyn tragicomedy, Anora.
Conclave, starring Ralph Fiennes as a cardinal navigating the election of a new pope, triumphed over [Musical Title], The Brutalist, Emilia Pérez, and the Bob Dylan biopic, [Biopic Title], to claim Best Picture. Conclave also won Outstanding British Film, along with awards for Editing and Adapted Screenplay.
Supporting Actor awards went to Kieran Culkin (for [Film Title]) and Zoe Saldaña (for Emilia Pérez), which also won Best Film Not in the English Language.
Karla Sofía Gascón, the star of Emilia Pérez, a best-actress nominee, was absent from the ceremony. Gascón, who plays a transgender ex-cartel boss, has distanced herself from the film’s promotion following controversy surrounding her social media comments.
Director Jacques Audiard, while condemning Gascón’s remarks, thanked her and her co-stars, Saldaña and Selena Gomez, in his acceptance speech. “I am deeply proud of what we have all achieved together,” he stated.
From the BAFTAs to the Oscars
Celebrities including Cynthia Erivo, Hugh Grant, Ariana Grande, Lupita Nyong’o, Timothée Chalamet, and Saoirse Ronan graced the red carpet at London’s Royal Festival Hall. The BAFTAs often foreshadow the Academy Awards, making this year’s race particularly unpredictable.
The ceremony, hosted by Scottish actor David Tennant, opened with a spirited rendition of The Proclaimers’ “I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles).”
Madison’s powerful performance as an exotic dancer involved with a Russian oligarch’s son in “Anora” earned her the Best Actress award. She bested Gascón, Demi Moore ([Film Title]), Ronan ([Film Title]), Erivo ([Film Title]), and Marianne Jean-Baptiste (Hard Truths).
In her acceptance speech, Madison addressed the sex worker community: “You deserve respect and human decency. I will always be a friend and an ally and I implore others to do the same,” she said.
Brody’s win for Best Actor came against competition from Fiennes, Chalamet (A Complete Unknown), Grant ([Film Title]), Colman Domingo ([Film Title]), and Sebastian Stan (The Apprentice).
Brody, portraying a Hungarian-Jewish architect in postwar America, highlighted The Brutalist’s message of unity. “It speaks to the need for all of us to share in the responsibility of how we want others to be treated and how we want to be treated by others,” he said. “There’s no place any more for antisemitism. There’s no place for racism.”
The Brutalist also won for Cinematography and Musical Score.
Saldaña, who played a lawyer assisting the title character in Emilia Pérez, called the film “the creative challenge of a lifetime.”
A Real Pain, about mismatched cousins on a heritage trip, won Best Original Screenplay, and Culkin won Best Supporting Actor for his performance in the film.
“I’d like to share this with my wife, who didn’t come because she didn’t think I’d win,” joked writer-director and co-star Jesse Eisenberg.
Wallace and Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl won Best Animated Feature and Best Family and Children’s Film.
The sci-fi epic, [Sci-fi Title], took home awards for Sound and Visual Effects, while the musical Wicked won for Costume Design and Production Design.
Rising stars and lifetime honors
BAFTA winners are primarily selected by 8,000 U.K. film industry professionals; the Rising Star Award is chosen by public vote. This year’s winner was David Jonsson, known for his roles in [TV Series Title] and Rye Lane.
“Star, I don’t know,” he said. “But rising, I guess.”
Rich Peppiatt, writer-director of Kneecap, won Best British Debut.
Warwick Davis received the BAFTA Fellowship, recognizing his career and commitment to inclusivity. The actor founded a talent agency for actors under 5 feet tall because, as he put it, “short actors weren’t known for their talent, just their height.”
“This is the best thing that’s ever happened to me—and I’ve been in ‘Star Wars,’” Davis said.
BAFTA chairwoman Sara Putt acknowledged the recent devastating Los Angeles wildfires.
Prince William, honorary president, sent a video message instead of attending, citing family commitments. He mentioned watching Darkest Hour and starting The Last of Us, finding the latter “quite full on.”
—Hilary Fox contributed to this story.