The Bafta ceremony, the British film awards, took place this Sunday evening in the prestigious performance hall of the Royal Albert Hall. Held without an audience due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the event took place amid national mourning in the UK after the death of prince PhilipFriday.
Hymn to the glory of modern hippies criss-crossing the United States, “Nomadland” triumphed. He won four prizes: best director (Chloé Zhao), best film, best actress (American Frances McDormand) and best cinematography. Already awarded at the Golden Globes at the end of February and the first woman to have obtained four Oscar nominations in the same year, the 39-year-old independent filmmaker paid tribute to “the nomadic community who so generously welcomed us into their lives, she shared with us his dreams, his struggles.
The American Frances McDormand was crowned best actress for her role in “Nomadland”. Thanks to her interpretation of a nomadic woman in the United States, the 63-year-old actress notably beat Vanessa Kirby (“Pieces of a Woman”), whom she will face again in the best actress category at the Oscars.
Anthony Hopkins won Best Actor for his portrayal of an old man descending into dementia in “The Father”, by Frenchman Florian Zeller. The Welsh-born and naturalized American comedian blew the prize away from Mads Mikkelsen, Tahar Rahim, Riz Ahmed, Adarsh Gourav and Chadwick Boseman. After the ceremony, the 83-year-old actor, joined in Wales where he is at the moment, told reporters that he was “proud” to have participated in this “powerful film”. Winning this prize “is a bonus”, said this legend of the cinema who could reoffend at the Oscars.
“Promising Young Woman”, by Emerald Fennell (who plays Camilla Parker-Bowles in the series “The Crown”), was crowned best British film and best original screenplay. In this black comedy, Carey Mulligan uses unorthodox methods to wage war against the patriarchy.
The film “Another Round” was crowned best film in a foreign language. Signed Thomas Vinterberg, “Drunky” (the French title) depicts four somewhat depressed high school teachers who decide to put into practice the theory of a Norwegian psychologist: by maintaining his alcohol level at 0.5 g per liter of blood, the man would see his life markedly improved. The results are quickly conclusive: drunk, the four friends are more inspired at work and more relaxed at home. But when they increase their alcohol consumption even further, their existence goes adrift.
“The Father”, the first film by Frenchman Florian Zeller, received the prize for best adapted screenplay. Adapted from the play of the same name, it was filmed in London. “It was a real honor to work in your country which is really a country of theater”, reacted Florian Zeller. “I am French but in my heart I feel English,” he added, speaking in a tuxedo, although by videoconference.
“Soul”Pixar Studios, was crowned best animated film. It tells the story of a jazz piano teacher who, propelled into the beyond, will have to train “22”, a soul who has never managed to incarnate in an earthly body, because it does not interested in anything.
Ang Lee honored
The Bafta for Best Supporting Actress went to the South Korean Youn Yuh-jung73, for “Minari”, which tells the story of an American family of South Korean origin in search of a new life in the countryside.
The British Daniel Kaluuya32, received the award for best supporting actor for his portrayal of Fred Hampton, a young leader of the black revolutionary movement Black Panther, in the film “Judas and the Black Messiah”.
The “Rising Star” award went to Bukky Bakray for “Rocks”, which honors a group of teenage girls of various origins taking their first steps in the cinema. She plays a 15-year-old teenager abandoned by her mother and who tries to get by with her younger brother, supported by her friends. This is the very first role of this young girl with dual British and Nigerian nationality, who had been spotted in her acting class. Cries of joy rang out at the actress’s home at this announcement. “Thank you my God, thank you to my parents”, reacted the actress.
This award is a consolation for this film which had accumulated seven nominations, as many as “Nomadland”. But his status as an underdog favorite was quite a symbol for awards criticized for their lack of diversity. The 2020 nominations featured no non-white actors in the four main categories and no female directors were shortlisted, prompting the organization to add a round of voting in a bid to achieve greater diversity in its selection.
Director Ang Lee (“Reason and feelings”, “Tiger and dragon”, “The Odyssey of Pi”) received the Bafta Academy Fellowship, the highest distinction of the Bafta, rewarding all of his work.
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Bafta 2021: “Nomadland” triumphs, Anthony Hopkins crowned best actor