‘Revenant’, DiCaprio dominate BAFTAs – Inarritu named best director

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LONDON, Feb 15, (Agencies): Epic survival tale “The Revenant” took top honours including best film on Sunday at Britain’s BAFTA film awards, boosting its status as a favourite for Oscar success later this month.

Mexico’s Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu scooped best director for the picture, and Leonardo DiCaprio won best actor for his leading role as grizzled trapper Hugh Glass.

“I am overwhelmed,” said Inarritu as he accepted the award at a star-studded ceremony in London.

DiCaprio used his speech to wish his mother a happy birthday and thank her for supporting him as a child.

“I grew up in a very rough neighbourhood in East Los Angeles. And this woman drove me three hours a day to a different school to show me a different opportunity,” he said.

“I’m shocked and amazed, honoured,” he said of the award. “To tell you the truth none of this was expected.”

Contender

After already nabbing the same three awards at last month’s Golden Globes, the film is now seen as a leading contender for Oscar glory in Los Angeles on February 28.

At the BAFTAs on Sunday, “The Revenant” won out for best film over Todd Haynes’ 1950s all-female romance “Carol”, Steven Spielberg’s Cold War thriller “Bridge of Spies”, Tom McCarthy’s newsroom drama “Spotlight” and Adam McKay’s financial caper “The Big Short”.

The film also took the awards for cinematography and for sound, giving it a total of five British Academy of Film and Television Arts gongs.

It was closely followed by “Mad Max: Fury Road”, George Miller’s visually stunning post-apocalyptic action film which picked up four technical wins including for the scrappy-punk costumes of its warring tribes.

The night’s other big winners included Brie Larson, who scooped best actress for her role in the harrowing kidnapping tale “Room”.

Kate Winslet, who won best supporting actress for her turn as a loyal assistant in the biopic “Steve Jobs”, said it had been an “extraordinary year for women”.

She dedicated her prize “to all those young women that doubt themselves”.

“When I was only 14, I was told by a drama teacher that I might be okay as long as I was happy to settle for the fat girl parts. Look at me now,” she said after accepting the award.

The theme of diversity — or lack of it — hung over the ceremony following a controversy over the lack of people of non-white ethnicities among the Oscar nominations.

A small group calling for a quota system in nominations protested the event, handing out leaflets on the red carpet that called the television industry “male, pale and stale”.

The chair of BAFTA Anne Morrison acknowledged the issue in her opening speech to the ceremony, which said those in the industry “have to admit” there is a problem.

“Diversity is high on the agenda right now. At BAFTA we welcome that debate,” Morrison said.

“The pressure won’t die down until there is real change on and off screen.”

British comedian Sacha Baron Cohen made a reference to the debate as he stood on stage introducing the best actress prize.

“The nominations for best… WHITE actress are,” Baron Cohen said, before host Stephen Fry interrupted him.

In an appearance that had the audience in stitches, comedian Rebel Wilson joked that the Oscars were “racist” while director Inarritu said the problem was “deeper” than just the Oscars.

“It’s a bigger question, it’s a bigger challenge, which is a cultural thing,” he said.

Hotly-tipped “Brooklyn”, a love story about a young Irish woman who emigrates to New York, won outstanding British film but lead actress Saoirse Ronan missed out on an award — however she is still in the running for best actress at the Oscars.

Mark Rylance won the supporting actor award for “Bridge of Spies”, beating Idris Elba who had been nominated for Netflix civil war story “Beasts of No Nation”.

Italy’s composing legend Ennio Morricone picked up an award for original music for his work on Quentin Tarantino’s bloody mystery tale “The Hateful Eight”, making it Morricone’s sixth BAFTA in the category.

In the documentary category, home-grown British film “Amy” won out over international competition for its in-depth portrayal of singer Amy Winehouse before she was famous and began to struggle with addiction.

“Star Wars: The Force Awakens” won an award for special visual effects, while “Inside Out” won in the animated film category.

This year’s ceremony was a marked change for Inarritu compared to last year’s awards: in 2015, his pic “Birdman,” was up for 10 nominations but only came away with one win for best cinematography, given to Emmanuel Lubezki.

Force

The glitterati were in full force at London’s Royal Opera House on Valentine’s Day: Tom Cruise awarded “The Revenant” with the best film prize while Leonardo DiCaprio’s win for best actor in the film was met with a resounding cheer in the audience. It marked the thesp’s first BAFTA win after four noms (he was previously nominated for work on Martin Scorsese pics “The Wolf of Wall Street,” “The Departed” and “The Aviator”).

DiCaprio personally thanked co-star Tom Hardy for his “fierce loyalty not only as a collaborator but as a friend. I could not have done this journey without you.” He also thanked his mother in a moving speech, crediting her for supporting his acting career from the beginning.

Lubezki nabbed the best cinematography award again for his work on “The Revenant,” a win that was widely predicted amongst the biz. This marks his fourth BAFTA win (in addition to “Birdman,” he also nabbed statuettes for “Gravity” and “Children of Men”). The pic also picked up best sound, for Lon Bender, Chris Duesterdiek, Martin Hernandez, Frank A. Montano, Jon Taylor, Randy Thom.

Brie Larson snatched up best actress for her role in “Room.” The thesp was not there to pick up the award, due to filming commitments in Australia, but helmer Lenny Abrahamson was on hand to accept the prize on her behalf and described the actress, who is also nominated for an Oscar this year, as “one of the best actors of her generation.”

Mark Rylance picked up best supporting actor for “Bridge of Spies,” his first win and first BAFTA film nomination. Rylance also wasn’t in London to collect the awards, as he is currently preforming on Broadway, but helmer Steven Spielberg collected the award for the actor.

“Spotlight” picked up one award for best original screenplay, for Tom McCarthy and Josh Singer. McCarthy took to the stage and thanked “the courageous survivors who came forward and shared their stories with us.”

Best animation went to Disney/Pixar toon “Inside Out” and helmer Pete Docter accepted the award and called on young people in secondary school who were struggling and trying to figure things out to “express themselves.” He said: “Sing, write, draw. The world will be a better place for it.”

George Miller received a lot of love on stage on Sunday evening as his pic “Mad Max: Fury Road,” picked up four statues for costume design (Jenny Beavan), makeup and hair (Lesley Vanderwalt, Damian Martin), editing (Margaret Sixel) and production design (Colin Gibson, Lisa Thompson).

Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer went to Jordanian pic “Theeb,” directed by Naji Abu Nowar, beating out the more well-known “Ex Machina”, helmed by Alex Garland. “Theeb” is up for an Oscar for best foreign language film.

“Star Wars: The Force Awakens” snapped up best special visual effects for Chris Corbould, Roger Guyett, Paul Kavanagh and Neal Scanlan while the EE Rising Star BAFTA award, the only award voted for by the public, went to “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” and “Attack the Block” Brit star John Boyega, who remarked he wanted to “share this award with all the young dreamers.” The thesp beat out Brie Larson, Dakota Johnson, Taron Egerton and Bel Powley for the award.

Sidney Poitier, the first African-American to receive a best actor Oscar for his role in 1963’s “Lilies of the Field,” was honored with a BAFTA Fellowship, the highest accolade, for his outstanding and exceptional contribution to the business. The Bahamas-born thesp, who has been nominated for six BAFTAs in his career (compared to two Academy Award nominations), nabbing one win in 1959 for “Edge of the City,” was unable to attend the ceremony to pick up his award due to “ill health.”

But he thanked BAFTA for the award saying “I’m sorry I’m unable to be there for you in London for this special occasion but I hold a very special place in my heart for your great city” and added “thank you for your warm embrace.”

“Sidney Poitier is the greatest example of what it means to live your life with integrity, power and grace. I just love this man,” said Oprah Winfrey in a video message. “He became a symbol of what was possible for an African-American in the United States.”

Alan Rickman, Omar Sharif, David Bowie, Wes Craven, Sir Christopher Lee and composer James Horner were remembered in a moving in memoriam reel during the ceremony.

Renowned costume supplier Angels Costumes was lauded with the Outstanding British Contribution to cinema, which was presented by Cate Blanchett.

And Best short film went to “Operator”, a pic funded by Kickstarter and helmed by Caroline Bartleet while best short animation went to “Edmond.”

DiCaprio cemented his Oscar-favorite status by taking the best-actor trophy for playing a bear-battling fur trapper in a brutally wild American West. Alejandro G. Inarritu was named best director for what he called a “human and tender story,” and “The Revenant” also won prizes for cinematography and sound.

DiCaprio, who has been nominated three times before at the British awards without winning, said in his acceptance speech that he was “absolutely humbled” to beat “The Martian” star Matt Damon, “Trumbo’’’s Bryan Cranston, Michael Fassbender for “Steve Jobs,” and Eddie Redmayne for “The Danish Girl.”

He cited the influence on his work of British actors including Tom Courtney, Peter O’Toole, Daniel Day Lewis and his “Revenant” co-star Tom Hardy, and sent thanks and greetings to his mother, whose birthday fell on Sunday.

The British awards, known as BAFTAs, are considered a portent of success at Hollywood’s Feb 28 Academy Awards. “The Revenant” has earned DiCaprio his sixth Oscar nomination — and, many believe, his best shot at finally winning.

DiCaprio said it was out of his hands, but expressed pride in what he called “not just a film, but an epic journey we all went on.”

“We put our heart and soul into this movie … It’s up to the world now and voters to decide,” he said at a post-ceremony news conference.

“The Revenant” beat several hotly tipped awards contenders, including Steven Spielberg’s Cold War thriller “Bridge of Spies” and Todd Haynes’ lesbian romance “Carol.” Each had nine BAFTA nominations, but “Bridge of Spies” won only for Rylance’s performance, while “Carol” was shut out.

Irish emigrant saga “Brooklyn” was named best British film, a distinct category, while the documentary prize went to “Amy”, a powerful portrait of the rise and fall of singer Amy Winehouse.

George Miller’s dystopian thrill ride “Mad Max: Fury Road” took four prizes: editing, production design, costume design, and hair and makeup.

Two leading Oscar contenders also won awards: “Spotlight”, the drama about newspaper reporters investigating sex abuses in the Catholic Church, for original screenplay, and financial-crisis dramedy “The Big Short” for adapted screenplay.

On a crisp, cool London winter evening, hundreds of fans gathered to watch the stars arrive at the Royal Opera House. Among the arrivals were nominees DiCaprio, Mark Ruffalo, Fassbender, Blanchett, Spielberg, Winslet, and “Star Wars” action hero John Boyega.

Inside the plush auditorium, actor-comedian Stephen Fry hosted a ceremony that included a Valentine’s-themed kiss-cam stunt which saw seatmates including DiCaprio and Maggie Smith smooch onscreen.

Boyega won the Rising Star award — decided by public vote — and dedicated it to “all the young dreamers who are hard-working, who are determined and who quite frankly are amazing.” “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” won the BAFTA for visual effects.

The black comedy anthology “Wild Tales,” written and directed by Argentine Damian Szifron, won for non-English language film. Famed Italian film composer Ennio Morricone, 87, received the music award for his score to Quentin Tarantino’s “The Hateful Eight.”

The movie awards season has been dominated by debate about why the film industry remains dominated by white men. All the acting nominees for the Oscars both this year and last have been white.

The BAFTAs are slightly more diverse, with two black actors nominated — Boyega and Idris Elba, a supporting-actor contender for “Beasts of No Nation.” Pioneering black American actor Sidney Poitier — the first black best-actor Oscar winner, in 1963 — received a lifetime achievement award, the BAFTA fellowship.

A group called Creatives of Colour Network organized a protest beside the red carpet against a lack of racial diversity in show business. Demonstrators rallied under the hashtag #baftablackout, and distributed leaflets declaring the awards “male, pale and stale.”

The head of the British film academy said she supported the protesters’ aims.

“Our industry isn’t diverse enough, so the pool of people to draw award winners from isn’t diverse enough,” chief executive Amanda Berry told the Daily Telegraph newspaper.

Like Hollywood’s Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the British film academy says it will work to make sure its 6,500 voting members become a more diverse group.

On the red carpet, Boyega said he was glad the issue was being aired.

“I just think a larger conversation is being had and I think that’s a very, very positive thing,” he said.

Full Winners List:

* Best Film: “The Revenant,” Steve Golin, Alejandro G. Inarritu, Arnon Milchan, Mary Parent, Keith Redmon

* Director: “The Revenant”, Alejandro G. Inarritu

* Original Screenplay: “Spotlight”, Tom McCarthy, Josh Singer

* Adapted Screenplay: “The Big Short”, Adam McKay, Charles Randolph

* Leading Actor: Leonardo DiCaprio, “The Revenant”

* Leading Actress: Brie Larson, “Room”

* Supporting Actor: Mark Rylance, “Bridge of Spies”

* Supporting Actress: Kate Winslet, “Steve Jobs”

* Original Music: “The Hateful Eight”, Ennio Morricone

* Cinematography: “The Revenant”, Emmanuel Lubezki

* Editing: “Mad Max: Fury Road”, Margaret Sixel

* Production Design: “Mad Max: Fury Road”, Colin Gibson, Lisa Thompson

* Costume Design: “Mad Max: Fury Road”, Jenny Beavan

* Makeup & Hair: “Mad Max: Fury Road”, Lesley Vanderwalt, Damian Martin

* Sound: “The Revenant”, Lon Bender, Chris Duesterdiek, Martin Hernandez, Frank A. Montano, Jon Taylor, Randy Thom

* Special Visual Effects: “Star Wars: The Force Awakens”, Chris Corbould, Roger Guyett, Paul Kavanagh, Neal Scanlan

* Film Not In The English Language: “Wild Tales”, Damian Szifron

* Documentary: “Amy”, Asif Kapadia, James Gay-Rees

* Animated Film: “Inside Out”, Pete Docter

* Outstanding British Film: “Brooklyn”, John Crowley, Finola Dwyer, Amanda Posey, Nick Hornby

* Outstanding Debut By A British Writer, Director Or Producer: Naji Abu Nowar (Writer/Director) Rupert Lloyd (Producer) “Theeb”

* British Short Animation: “Edmond”, Nina Gantz, Emilie Jouffroy

* British Short Film: “Operator”, Caroline Bartleet, Rebecca Morgan

* The EE Rising Star Award (Voted for by the public): John Boyega

 

 

This news has been read 10494 times!