The Artist sweeps the BAFTAs

The Artist sweeps the BAFTAs
The Artist sweeps the BAFTAs
The Artist sweeps the BAFTAs

The Artist has won the top honours at Britain’s most prestigious film awards.

BAFTA gave the French-made, Hollywood-set silent film the trophies for Best Film, Best Director and Original Screenplay for Michel Hazanavicius and Best Leading Actor for Jean Dujardin.

The film also fared well in the technical categories, collecting BAFTAs for its music, cinematography and costumes.

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, which missed out to The Artist in the Best Film category, had to settle for the Outstanding British Film prize, as well as the honour for the Best Adapted Screenplay.

Meryl Streep secured the Best Leading Actress BAFTA for her highly-acclaimed portrayal of Margaret Thatcher in The Iron Lady, but although she began the awards season as the hot favourite for the Oscar, that prize now looks more likely to go to Viola Davis for The Help, after she picked up the corresponding honour at the Screen Actor’s Guild, last month.

Both of the supporting acting awards went the way they have done in almost every other major ceremony this year – Octavia Spencer for The Help and Christopher Plummer for Beginners.

Asif Kapadia’s Senna, about the eponymous Formula One driver, took the prizes for the Best Documentary and Best Editing.

Hugo, which has the most Oscar nominations and started the night at the Royal Opera House in central London with the second highest number of nods after The Artist, picked up honours only for production design and sound. BAFTA gave the award for the Best Hair & Make Up to The Iron Lady.

The Best Special Visual Effects trophy went to the team that brought the magic of final Harry Potter movie to the big screen.

Honouring future British talent, BAFTA recognised actor Paddy Considine’s first feature as a director, Tyrannosaur, as the Oustanding British Debut, while Adam Deacon collected the Rising Star award, as voted for by the public. 

Hugo director Martin Scorsese didn’t go home empty-handed; he was made a Fellow of BAFTA. And the veteran actor John Hurt was also honoured for his Outstanding British Contribution to cinema.

The overwhelming success of The Artist will clearly be a boost for the film’s Oscar nominees, but winning BAFTAs is not traditionally the best barometer of who might pick up the little golden man later in the month. This is often because of the parochial nature of such awards ceremonies often sees BAFTA favouring British productions or talent – such as Meryl Streep’s turn as Lady Thatcher – but with BAFTA giving the top prizes to a French film about Hollywood, the indication is that the prevailing wind in the industry is still blowing in The Artist’s direction.

A full list of BAFTA winners:

BEST FILM: The Artist

OUTSTANDING BRITISH FILM: Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

DIRECTOR: Michel Hazanavicius – The Artist

LEADING ACTOR: Jean Dujardin – The Artist

LEADING ACTRESS: Meryl Streep – The Iron Lady

SUPPORTING ACTOR: Christopher Plummer – Beginners

SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Octavia Spencer – The Help

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY: The Artist (Michel Hazanavicius)

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY: Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (Peter Straughan, Bridget O’Connor)

ORIGINAL MUSIC: The Artist

CINEMATOGRAPHY: The Artist

EDITING: Senna

PRODUCTION DESIGN: Hugo

COSTUME DESIGN: The Artist

SOUND: Hugo

SPECIAL VISUAL EFFECTS: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2

MAKE UP & HAIR: The Iron Lady

OUTSTANDING DEBUT BY A BRITISH WRITER, DIRECTOR OR PRODUCER:

TYRANNOSAURPaddy Considine (Director), Diarmid Scrimshaw (Producer)

DOCUMENTARY: Senna

FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM: The Skin I Live In (Pedro Almodóvar, Spain)

ANIMATED FEATURE: Rango

SHORT ANIMATION: A Morning Stroll (Grant Orchard, Sue Goff)

SHORT FILM: Pitch Black Heist (John Maclean, Gerardine O’Flynn)

RISING STAR AWARD: Adam Deacon

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