Dame Helen Mirren improved on her awards count with a best actress Bafta for her portrayal of Queen Elizabeth II in The Queen. The role, which has already won Mirren a golden globe and an Oscar nomination, recounts the days of the real life England monarch in the days following the death of Princess Diana.
Paying tribute to her mentor actor Ian Richardson, who passed away last week, the veteran actress broke down in tears at the end of her acceptance speech.
She said: Ian Richardson, I’m not too sure I would be here today if it wasn’t for you.
Leading the pack with 10 nominations, the film also won the Bafta for best film.
With 9 nominations, the latest Bond flick Casino Royale had stirred up a lot of hopes but the spy thriller only landed one with the award for best sound.
And though he didn’t win, actor Daniel Craig’s Bafta nomination for best actor didn’t go unnoticed.
Film critic Mark Kermode saw the nomination as a significant achievement for the actor and said:
It is one of those roles that is generally thought of as not an actorly pursuit. What Daniel Craig has done is demonstrate that you can play that role in a really thespian manner.
The Last King of Scotland walked away with three awards including best British film and best actor for Forest Whitaker while Peter Morgan and Jeremy Brock’s script won them the best adapted screenplay award.
Whitaker, who has already bagged a Golden Globe and a Screen Actors Guild award for his portrayal of Ugandan dictator Idi Amin, seemed overwhelmed.
He said:
This means a lot because to be embraced by another shore is a special thing. I try to think of myself as a citizen of the planet.
Hosted by BBC presenter Jonathan Ross after a six-year stint by actor Stephen fry, the London ceremony saw the Bafta for original screenplay being handed to Little Miss Sunshine. The low budget comedy also won the best supporting actor Bafta for Alan Arkin’s performance.
United 93, which depicts one of the September 11 2001 plane hijackings in America, got British film-maker Paul Greengrass the best director award.
In his acceptance speech he said:
I firmly believe that cinema must deal with the way the world is and the dangers there are. We need it very much now.
Jennifer Hudson took the best supporting actress Bafta for her performance in the musical Dreamgirls while French actress Eva Green, who plays Bond’s love interest in Casino Royale, won the Orange Rising Star award which is voted for by the British public.
The best foreign language film Bafta went to Pan’s Labyrinth. The Spanish-language dark fairytale took home three awards from the night.
The award for special achievement by a debutant British director went to Andrea Arnold for the Glasgow-set drama Red Road while Happy Feet won the best animated feature film award.
Celebrating its 60th anniversary, The British Academy of Film and Television Arts have gained eminence since being rescheduled to take place before the Oscars in 2001.
Via: bbc
