(AP) — Papal thriller “ Conclave ” won four prizes including best picture on Sunday at the 78th British Academy Film Awards, where genre-bending musical “ Emilia Pérez ” proved that it’s still an awards contender despite a multipronged backlash that looked to have dented its chances.
At a ceremony where no film dominated, “The Brutalist” equaled the awards tally of “Conclave,” scooping four trophies, including best director for Brady Corbet and best actor for Adrien Brody. Mikey Madison won the best actress prize for Brooklyn tragicomedy “Anora.”
“Conclave,” which stars Ralph Fiennes as a cardinal corralling conniving clergy as they elect a new pope, beat “Anora,” “The Brutalist,” “Emilia Pérez” and Bob Dylan biopic “ A Complete Unknown " to the top prize. “Conclave” was also named an outstanding British film and took trophies for editing and adapted screenplay.
Supporting performer prizes went to Kieran Culkin for “A Real Pain” and Zoe Saldaña for “Emilia Pérez,” which also won the award for best film not in the English language.
Karla Sofía Gascón, who stars as the titular transgender ex-cartel boss in “Emilia Pérez,” was a best-actress nominee but did not attend the ceremony. Gascón has withdrawn from promoting the film, which has 13 Oscar nominations, amid controversy over her social media posts disparaging Muslims, George Floyd, and diversity at the Oscars.
The film’s director, Jacques Audiard, has condemned those comments, but in an acceptance speech thanked Gascón along with her co-stars Saldaña and Selena Gomez.
“I am deeply proud of what we have all achieved together,” he said.
Pamela Anderson and Jeff Goldblum dazzled on the red carpet of the BAFTA Film Awards in London, on Sunday. (Feb. 16)
From the BAFTAs to the Oscars
Stars including Cynthia Erivo, Hugh Grant, Ariana Grande, Lupita Nyong’o, Timothée Chalamet, and Saoirse Ronan walked the red carpet at London’s Royal Festival Hall for the awards, known as BAFTA. The British prizes often provide clues about who will triumph at Hollywood’s Academy Awards on March 2, in an unusually hard-to-call awards season.
They also have a distinctly British accent. The ceremony kicked off with its kilt-wearing host, Scottish actor David Tennant, leading the audience in a rousing singalong of The Proclaimers’ anthem “I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles).”
Madison won the female acting trophy for her powerhouse performance as an exotic dancer entangled with a Russian oligarch’s son in “Anora.” She beat Gascón, Demi Moore for the body-horror film “ The Substance,” Ronan for “The Outrun,” Erivo for “Wicked” and Marianne Jean-Baptiste for “Hard Truths.”
In her acceptance speech, Madison sent a message to 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 beat competition from Fiennes, Chalamet, who plays the young Dylan in “A Complete Unknown,” Grant for the horror film “ Heretic,” Colman Domingo for prison drama “ Sing Sing ” and Sebastian Stan for his portrayal of a young Donald Trump in “ The Apprentice.”
Brody, who plays a Hungarian-Jewish architect in the postwar United States, said “The Brutalist” carried a powerful message for our divided times.
“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 anymore for antisemitism. There’s no place for racism.”
“The Brutalist” also won prizes for its cinematography and musical score.
Saldaña won for her role as a lawyer who helps the title character in “Emilia Pérez” transition to a woman and out of a life of crime. She called the film “the creative challenge of a lifetime.”
“A Real Pain,” about mismatched cousins on a trip to explore their roots, won the BAFTA for best original screenplay, as well as Culkin’s acting award.
“I’d like to share this with my wife, who didn’t come because she didn’t think I’d win,” quipped writer-director Jesse Eisenberg, who also co-starred in the film.
Claymation caper “Wallace and Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl” won awards for best-animated feature and best family and children’s film.
Sci-fi epic “Dune: Part Two” won prizes for sound and visual effects, while the blockbuster musical " Wicked” took the costume and production design trophies.
Rising stars and lifetime honors
Most BAFTA winners are chosen by 8,000 members of the U.K. Academy of industry professionals, with one — the Rising Star Award —- selected by public vote from a shortlist of nominees. This year’s winner was David Jonsson, star of the high finance TV drama series “Industry” and London rom-com “Rye Lane.”
“Star, I don’t know,” he said. “But rising, I guess.”
The prize for best British debut went to Rich Peppiatt, writer-director of Irish-language hip-hop drama “Kneecap.”
“Willow” and “Return of the Jedi” actor Warwick Davis received the academy’s top honor, the BAFTA Fellowship, for his screen career and work to create a more inclusive film industry.
Speaking at the BAFTA Film Awards in London, “A Complete Unknown” actor Monica Barbaro reveals what it’s like touring the world with co-star Timothée Chalamet. (Feb. 16)
The 3-foot, 6-inch (1.1-meter) actor founded a talent agency for actors under 5 feet tall, because, he said, “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 as he accepted his award.
This awards season has been clouded by last month’s devastating Los Angeles wildfires, and BAFTA chairwoman Sara Putt sent a message of strength to everyone affected,
The event was without a dash of royal glamour this year. Neither Prince William, who is honorary president of the British film academy, nor his wife Kate attended the ceremony, which coincided with school holidays for their three children.
William, 42, sent a video message, recorded during a visit to meet students at the London Screen Academy on Wednesday.
During the visit, the heir to the throne discussed his own viewing habits, saying he’d watched World War II drama “Darkest Hour” and had begun postapocalyptic TV drama “The Last of Us.” He said he found it “quite full on” and didn’t make it to the end.
The British Academy Film Awards, or BAFTAs, have given audiences some great moments in recent years. Remember Ariana DeBose’s “Angela Basset did the Thing,” that awkward performance that had a joyful second life as a joke? Or Ryan Gosling’s wink at Emma Stone last year that had internet shippers in a tizzy?
The worst part is that for some parts of the world, including the U.S., they’re also not the easiest to watch — or at least a little harder than just turning on ABC (and soon Hulu) to watch the Oscars.
The Associated Press is here to help those without a BritBox subscription with a rundown of the best and most memorable moments of the night, where “Anora” did not sweep (though Mikey Madison did triumph over best actress front-runner Demi Moore), “Conclave” won big and “Emilia Pérez” proved it’s still a contender.
‘(500 Miles)’ singalong with Brian Cox
Host David Tennant got the ceremony off to an amusing start with a pre-recorded bit where various actors give him a little pep talk, appearing in his dressing room mirror — including fellow Scot Brian Cox, who kicked off a rousing rendition of The Proclaimers song “I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles).” Tennant took over and brought the anthem into the room, where Selena Gomez seemed genuinely surprised when he tapped her shoulder and inserted her name into the song. There were the celebrity participants of course, James McAvoy, Camila Cabello and Colman Domingo among them. But even some not “in the show” sang along happily as well, Saoirse Ronan and Jack Lowden included. Others, like Adrien Brody and Demi Moore, did not seem to be part of the chorus.
Selena Gomez narrowly avoids a presenting gaffe
No presenter wants a John Travolta “Adele Dazeem” moment or, worse, a Faye Dunaway “La La Land” flap, and you could see the wheels turning in Gomez’s head as she looked at the card for the debut by a British writer, director or producer award. “I don’t know how to say,” she said quietly from stage, looking at her co-star and co-presenter, Zoe Saldaña, before looking further down on the card. “Oh, ‘Kneecap,’” she said, quietly adding, “Rich” and simply avoiding the writer-director’s last name, Peppiatt.
Jesse Eisenberg’s sweet, funny tribute to his wife
Jesse Eisenberg started off his best screenplay win for “A Real Pain” with some signature, self-deprecating jokes about how neither he, his wife nor the person who sat him thought he was going to win. The audience laughed loudly when he said that’s why his wife didn’t attend the ceremony. But he quickly turned sincere, offering a touching tribute to his wife, Anna Strout, whom he credited with helping him learn about the world around him. “You’ve put every worthwhile thought into my head over the last 20 years,” Eisenberg said. “I love you so much.”
Zoe Saldaña’s teary, fierce speech
Perhaps Saldaña was feeling the pressure of “Emilia Pérez’s” diminished Oscar dreams two days before voting closes. Or maybe she was just really overwhelmed by winning the best supporting actress BAFTA. Regardless, she let her emotions show in a teary and intense speech, in which she poked fun at her own inability to do a good British accent, shouted out her makeup artist as her closest confidant, and made a case for the film.
“Films are supposed to change hearts and challenge minds, and I hope, I hope that ‘Emilia Pérez’ did something like this,” she said. “Voices need to be heard, just not my English accent. Bye, guys.”
Jeff Goldblum, piano man
In memoriam segments don’t need to be flashy. All you need is a thoughtful reel, Jeff Goldblum, and a piano, it turns out. He played “As Time Goes By.”
Warwick Davis “keeps it short,” and sincere
Warwick Davis joked that he’d keep his BAFTA Fellowship acceptance speech “short,” telling the audience that it’s OK, they can laugh. “This is probably the best thing that has ever happened to me, and I’ve been in ‘Star Wars,’” he said. Davis also got emotional, speaking about his wife who died last year.
“She was always so supportive of my career, encouraging me to grab every opportunity with both hands,” he said. “Since then, life has been pretty tough for me. Thanks to the support of our wonderful children, I’ve been able to continue working and engaging in life.”
Mikey Madison gets her moment
Moore has been sweeping many of the best actress prizes, but “Anora” star Madison got a great, big moment and won. Though she said she didn’t expect it, and said she should have “listened to my publicist and written a speech,” Madison gave a notably thoughtful speech, paying tribute to her director, producer, co-stars, mother (her favorite scene partner), and the sex worker community.
“I just want to say: I see you. You deserve respect and human decency,” she said. “I will always be a friend and an ally, and I implore others to do the same.”
And tonight’s final award for Best Film goes to…Conclave! ✨#EEBAFTAs pic.twitter.com/zF3WCN9RxH
— BAFTA (@BAFTA) February 16, 2025