The film’s stars Frances McDormand and Sam Rockwell won best actress and best supporting actor, respectively.
Martin McDonagh’s “ Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri ” was the big winner at the 71st British Academy Film Awards taking five awards including both best film and best British film. The film’s stars Frances McDormand and Sam Rockwell won best actress and best supporting actor, respectively, while McDonagh took home best original screenplay.
McDonagh lost out in the best director category to “The Shape of Water’s” Guillermo Del Toro. “The Shape of Water” took the second biggest haul of the night with three awards, while “Blade Runner 2049” and “Darkest Hour” took two apiece.
“Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” took the first award of the night for outstanding British film, which was presented by Jennifer Lawrence. Sam Rockwell made it two as he won best supporting actor for the film, beating out his co-star Woody Harrelson. “I stand on the shoulders of strong, intelligent, riotous women,” said Rockwell, telling co-star Frances McDormand she was an inspiration, before dedicating the award to “my pal Alan Rickman.” In the winner’s press conference Rockwell said he and director Martin McDonagh now had a shorthand having worked together twice before, on stage and in the film “Seven Psychopaths.”
Claiming best original screenplay for the film McDonagh called Rockwell his muse. The win was McDonagh’s second BAFTA win in the category having previously won for 2008’s “In Bruges.”
Frances McDormand took to the stage in a red and black dress to accept the award for best actress. “As Martin said I have a little trouble with compliance but I want you to know I stand in alliance with my sister’s in black,” said McDormand of her outfit. “In drama school I was told I wasn’t naturally gifted and I should work at it. So I did,” joked the actress. It was McDormand’s first BAFTA award from 4 nominations. She was previously nominated for best actress for her Oscar-winning performance in “Fargo,” losing out to Brenda Blethyn in Mike Leigh’s “Secrets & Lies.” She also received supporting actress nominations for “Almost Famous” and “North Country.”
Gary Oldman won best actor for his role as Winston Churchill in Joe Wright’s “Darkest Hour,” after presenter Salma Hayek joked the winner was Frances McDormand. It was Oldman’s first best actor BAFTA from three nominations, having previously been nominated for Mike Leigh’s “Prick Up Your Ears” and Tomas Alfredson’s “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy.” Oldman won BAFTAs for best British film and best screenplay for his directorial debut “Nil by Mouth.”
Oldman thanked Churchill who he said had “held the line for integrity, honor and freedom for his country and the world.”
The ceremony, which was held at the Royal Albert Hall for the second consecutive year, is hosted for the first time by Joanna Lumley, best known for her role as Patsy in the “Absolutely Fabulous” TV show and movie.
Lumley took over as host from Stephen Fry, who has presented the BAFTAs 12 times since first emceeing in 2001, including each year since 2012. The new host immediately brought a fresh approach to the ceremony with a pre-recorded segment that featured the actress interacting with characters from nominated films including “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri,” “Call Me by Your Name,” “Darkest Hour” and “Paddington 2.”
Following a performance by Cirque du Soleil’s OVO inspired by “The Shape of Water,” which led the nominees going into the ceremony with 12, Lumley took to the stage of the Royal Albert Hall. She revealed that exactly 100 years ago the venue hosted an event celebrating the first women to get the vote in Britain. Turning her attention to the nominees in the room Lumley joked best actor nominee Gary Oldman’s ability to disappear into a role was evident in his other roles of the year besides Winston Churchill in “Darkest Hour” such as Yoda, Wonder Woman and Lego Batman.
“In one sense you’re all winners tonight,” Lumley said, concluding her opening remarks. “And in another sense if you believe that you’ll believe anything.”
Guillermo Del Toro won best director for “The Shape of Water.” Del Toro paid tribute to the legacy of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, Charlie Chaplin, Stan Laurel and novelist Mary Shelley amongst his British influences. “She gave voice to the voiceless,” said the director of Shelley. It was the Mexican filmmaker’s second BAFTA having won best foreign language film for his 2006 Spanish-language film “Pan’s Labyrinth.”
Allison Janney won supporting actress for her role in “I, Tonya.” The actress joked she had to clear up a lie she had been perpetrating for years: that she hadn’t actually graduated from the U. K.’s world renowned Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts, but that she had done a two-week course there.
With “Black Panther” dominating in cinemas around the world one of its stars, British actor Daniel Kaluuya, had double cause to celebrate Sunday night as he was awarded the EE Rising Star BAFTA award, the only award voted for by the public. Having worked steadily in British film and television over the past decade Kaluuya saw his breakout role in Jordan Peele ’s “Get Out” bring him to global public attention as well as net him BAFTA and Oscar nominations as best actor. Kaluuya, who recently finished shooting Steve McQueen ’s “Widows,” beat out Florence Pugh, Josh O’Connor, Tessa Thompson and Timothee Chalamet for the award.
“I am a product of arts funding in the U. K.,” said Kaluuya, thanking those who funded and supported arts funding in the country.
“The Shape of Water” scored its first win of the night with Alexandre Desplat taking home the award for original music. It was Desplat’s third BAFTA award from 8 nominations having previously won for “The King’s Speech” and “The Grand Budapest Hotel.” The film also claimed the award for best production design.
“Darkest Hour,” which went into the night with nine nominations, scored its first win for make up and hair.
Pixar’s “Coco” claimed best animated film. It marks the 7th time Pixar have won the BAFTA award since its inception in 2006. Director Lee Unkrich previously won for Pixar’s 2010 film “Toy Story 3.” “Representation matters. Marginalised people deserve to feel like they belong,” said Unkrich, on the importance of having non-white charaters on screen. “I hope we’ve made a difference and I hope it’s just the beginning.”
Raoul Peck’s “I Am Not Your Negro,” about U. S. novelist and social critic James Baldwin, claimed the BAFTA for best documentary. Peck said Baldwin was “the perfect image of a great humanist.”
Park Chan-wook’s Korean language film “The Handmaiden” claimed for BAFTA for film not in the English language.
James Ivory collected the best adapted screenplay BAFTA for “Call Me by Your Name.” It was the 89 year old’s third BAFTA but his first for screenplay. He previously won twice for producing best film winners “A Room with a View” and “Howards End.”
The team behind the special visual effects of “Blade Runner 2049” beat out heavyweight competition from “Dunkirk,” “The Shape of Water,” “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” and “War for the Planet of the Apes.
