BAFTAS 2019 : “Roma” and “The Favorite” celebrated, the rest fight for the crumbs

“Roma,” a Netflix production, triumphed on Sunday at the British film awards (BAFTA) by earning the Best Film and, for Alfonso Cuaron, in the director’s chair, the Best Director awards, further cementing Netflix’s unmistakably-strong place in the filmed entertainment industry.

Although several Netflix series have won awards, in recent years, Netflix has never known so resounding a victory as what took place last night in London. The “Roma” win is sure to whet the appetite of its 130 million users in the leadup to the Oscars (in all, “Roma” has garnered ten nominations for the Oscars, with the ceremony scheduled for February 24th in Hollywood).

“Roma”

In the Best Director category, Mexico’s Alfonso Cuaron outwon Spike Lee (“BlacKkKlansman”), Yorgos Lanthimos (“The Favorite”) and Bradley Cooper (“A Star Is Born”).

“Roma,” shot in Spanish and in black and white, portrays Cuaron’s own childhood in a Mexico neighborhood in the seventies. The film, which has already received two Golden Globes, is a favorite also in the categories for Best Film in a Foreign Language and Best Cinematography at the Oscars. Cuaron won several Oscars for “Gravity” in 2014.

“I am overwhelmed by the reception this film has received,” said Alfonso Cuaron after last night’s ceremony (wires).

Livecasting from London’s Royal Albert Hall, the evening was also a rousing success for the film “The Favorite,” which, although it missed out on Best Movie, still went on to reap a harvest of statuettes: Best British film, Best Decor, Best Make-up and Hairstyle, Best Supporting Actress (Rachel Weisz), Best Original Screenplay, and most importantly, Best Actress, this recognition going to Olivia Colman for her interpretation of Queen Anne.

In the running for an Academy Award (and Colman has already won a Golden Globe for the role) the 45-year-old British actress beat Glenn Close (“The Wife”) and Lady Gaga (“A Star Is Born”). In “Favorite,” a dramedy set in England in the 18th century, a confidante and a courtisane compete for the Queen’s favors.

At times holy and royal, at others comically downtrodden and scornful, Olivia Colman’s Queen Anne is the winningest performance we’ve seen on screen in a long time.

On the men’s side, thirty-seven-year-old American actor Rami Malek received the Best Actor award for his performance as Freddie Mercury in “Bohemian Rhapsody.” ”When I started to prepare the role of Freddie Mercury, I wondered if I was going to be up to it. It’s a huge responsibility, but a responsibility that I was eager to take on,” he told the wires in the leadup to the awards show.

This year’s BAFTAs were overshadowed, somewhat, by the recent controversy surrounding “Rhapsody” director Bryan Singer. The latter’s nomination for the Best Director category had been removed after allegations of sexual misconduct were made in an article published in The Atlantic.

“Roma” and “The Favorite” barely left any crumbs for their direct competitors. “A Star Is Born,” a film about the rise of a young singer played by Lady Gaga, will have to console itself with a BAFTA for best original music, “BlacKkKlansman” with that of the best adapted scenario, and “Vice” with that of the editing.

Letitia WrightIn the animated film category, the British Academy awarded “Spider-Man: New Generation,” in which a new black and Latino spider-man takes front and center while Peter Parker is relegated to a Yoda-like role.

The BAFTA for Best Documentary went to “Free Solo.” The film is about the spectacular rope-free climb of El Capitan, the granite wall of Yosemite Nature Park in California, by Alex Honnold, a first that has fascinated the world of climbers. And given the production team cold sweats.

“One of the reasons the film is so great is because I had so much faith in the filmmakers to tell the story. I was able to focus on exactly what I had to do to achieve this climb, “Alex Honnold commented.

Letitia Wright, a twenty five year-old woman from Guyana, won a BAFTA for “Rising Star” (the only one awarded by the public) for her role as Shuri, sister of the superhero in “Black Panther,” in the film of the same name, winner of the prize for the best visual effects.

Particularly moved, the young actress (pictured at right) confessed to having almost walked away from acting. “A few years ago I saw myself in a deep state of depression and I literally wanted to quit acting,” she explained.” She added, “the only thing that pretty much pulled me out of that, was god, my belief, my faith, my family and an email from BAFTA saying that they wanted me to be a part of their Breakthrough Brits and I was like, ‘let me try again’.”

COMPLETE LIST OF THE WINNERS

Outstanding British film
Beast
Bohemian Rhapsody
WINNER: The Favourite
McQueen
Stan & Ollie
You Were Never Really Here

Best animated film
Incredibles 2
Isle of Dogs
WINNER: Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse

Best production design
Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald
WINNER: The Favourite
First Man
Mary Poppins Returns
Roma

Best British short animation
I’m OK
Marfa
WINNER: Roughhouse

Best British short film
WINNER: 73 Cows
Bachelor, 38
The Blue Door
The Field
Wale

Best sound
WINNER: Bohemian Rhapsody
First Man
Mission: Impossible – Fallout
A Quiet Place
A Star Is Born

Best editing
Bohemian Rhapsody
The Favourite
First Man
Roma
WINNER: Vice

Best documentary
WINNER: Free Solo
McQueen
RBG
They Shall Not Grow Old
Three Identical Strangers

Best make up & hair
Bohemian Rhapsody
WINNER: The Favourite
Mary Queen of Scots
Stan & Ollie
Vice

Best supporting actress
Amy Adams – Vice
Claire Foy – First Man
Emma Stone – The Favourite
Margot Robbie – Mary Queen of Scots
WINNER: Rachel Weisz – The Favourite

EE Rising Star award (voted for by the public)
Barry Keoghan
Cynthia Erivo
Jessie Buckley
Lakeith Stanfield
WINNER: Letitia Wright

Best adapted screenplay
WINNER: BlacKkKlansman – Spike Lee, David Rabinowitz, Charlie Wachtel, Kevin Willmott
Can You Ever Forgive Me? – Nicole Holofcener, Jeff Whitty
First Man – Josh Singer
If Beale Street Could Talk – Barry Jenkins
A Star Is Born – Bradley Cooper, Will Fetters, Eric Roth

Best original music
BlacKkKlansman
If Beale Street Could Talk
Isle of Dogs
Mary Poppins Returns
WINNER: A Star Is Born

Best original screenplay
Cold War – Janusz Głowacki, Paweł Pawlikowski
WINNER: The Favourite – Deborah Davis, Tony McNamara
Green Book – Brian Currie, Peter Farrelly, Nick Vallelonga
Roma – Alfonso Cuarón
Vice – Adam McKay

Best supporting actor
Adam Driver – BlacKkKlansman
WINNER: Mahershala Ali – Green Book
Richard E Grant – Can You Ever Forgive Me?
Sam Rockwell – Vice
Timothée Chalamet – Beautiful Boy

Best cinematography
Bohemian Rhapsody
Cold War
The Favourite
First Man
WINNER: Roma

Outstanding debut by a British writer, director or producer
Apostasy – Daniel Kokotajlo (writer/director)
WINNER: Beast – Michael Pearce (writer/director), Lauren Dark (producer)
A Cambodian Spring – Chris Kelly (writer/director/producer),
Pili – Leanne Welham (writer/director), Sophie Harman (producer)
Ray & Liz – Richard Billingham (writer/director), Jacqui Davies (producer)

Outstanding debut by a British writer, director or producer
Apostasy – Daniel Kokotajlo (writer/director)
WINNER: Beast – Michael Pearce (writer/director), Lauren Dark (producer)
A Cambodian Spring – Chris Kelly (writer/director/producer),
Pili – Leanne Welham (writer/director), Sophie Harman (producer)
Ray & Liz – Richard Billingham (writer/director), Jacqui Davies (producer)

Best special visual effects
Avengers: Infinity War
WINNER: Black Panther
Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald
First Man
Ready Player One

Best film not in the English language
Capharnaum
Cold War
Dogman
WINNER: Roma
Shoplifters

Best costume design
The Ballad of Buster Scruggs
Bohemian Rhapsody
WINNER: The Favourite
Mary Poppins Returns
Mary Queen of Scots

Best director
BlacKkKlansman – Spike Lee
Cold War – Paweł Pawlikowski
The Favourite – Yorgos Lanthimos
WINNER: Roma – Alfonso Cuarón
A Star Is Born – Bradley Cooper

Best actor
Bradley Cooper – A Star Is Born
Christian Bale – Vice
WINNER: Rami Malek – Bohemian Rhapsody
Steve Coogan – Stan & Ollie
Viggo Mortensen – Green Book

Best actress
Glenn Close – The Wife
Lady Gaga – A Star Is Born
Melissa McCarthy – Can You Ever Forgive Me?
WINNER: Olivia Colman – The Favourite
Viola Davis – Widows

Best film
BlacKkKlansman
The Favourite
Green Book
WINNER: Roma
A Star Is Born

Bafta fellowship
Thelma Schoonmaker

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