Avatar was the big winner at this year’s Empire Awards, scooping Best Film, Best Director and Best Actress for Zoe Saldana.
Best Actor went to Christoph Waltz for his Oscar-winning turn in Inglourious Bastards.
The Oscar-nominated In The Loop picked up the Best Comedy prize, while Sherlock Holmes was honoured as the Best Thriller. The Best Sci-Fi/Fantasy Award went to Star Trek and the Swedish vampire film, Let The Right One In, was the Best Horror.
Daniel Barber’s debut feature Harry Brown was the Best British Film, while Best Newcomer went to the actor Aaron Johnson — soon to be seen in Kick-**** — for his depiction of a young John Lennon in Nowhere Boy.
Jude Law was given Empire’s Hero Award for his overall contribution to world cinema — while Sir Ian McKellen was crowned as an Empire Icon, for his body of work. Ray Winstone was honoured for his “outstanding contribution to British cinema.”
The event, at the Grosvenor House Hotel, was hosted by the comedian Dara O’Briain and attended by actors including Gwyneth Paltrow, Simon Pegg and Sam Worthington, as well as the directors Guy Ritchie and Edgar Wright.