Tragicomic royal drama
LONDON — Tragicomic royal drama « The Favourite » and Mexican family memoir « Roma » split the honors with multiple wins each at Sunday’s British Academy Film Awards — victories that suggest a wind of change may be blowing through the movie industry.
« The Favourite » won seven trophies including best British film and best actress for OIivia Colman, who plays Britain’s 18th century Queen Anne in the female-centric drama.
Alfonso Cuaron’s « Roma, » which centers on the nanny to a middle-class Mexico City family, took prizes for best picture, director, cinematography and foreign-language film.
Winners relished the symbolism of their victories.
« Thank you for celebrating our female-dominated movie about women in power, » said « The Favourite » writer Deborah Davis, who won the original screenplay award alongside co-writer Tony McNamara.
Cuaron thanked the film’s backer, Netflix, for having the courage to support « a black and white film about a domestic worker » that is not in English.
He said the extent to which the film has been embraced « in an age where fear and anger are proposed to divide us means the world to me. »
Director Yorgos Lanthimos’ « The Favourite » snapped up the outstanding British film and screenplay awards as well as prizes for its opulent production design, its extravagant costumes, larger-than-life hair and makeup and the performances of Colman and supporting actress Rachel Weisz.
« This is for all three of us, » Colman said, speaking of Weisz and the film’s other star, Emma Stone. « It’s got my name on it but we can scratch on some other ones. »
The best-actor trophy went to Rami Malek for his electric turn as Queen front man Freddie Mercury in « Bohemian Rhapsody.
