BAFTA

Gravity, Cate Blanchett, Chiewetel Ejiofor Win Big at BAFTAs

BAFTA
Lupita Nyong’o at the 2014 BAFTA Awards

Cate Blanchett (“Blue Jasmine”) and Chiewetel Ejiofor (“12 Years a Slave”) nabbed the top acting prizes at the British Academy Film Awards Sunday night at London’s Royal Opera House in Covent Gardens.

In accepting her award, Blanchett tap danced around the Woody Allen controversy by dedicating her prize to Philip Seymour Hoffman. “I would like to dedicate this to an actor who has been a touchstone for me,” she said. “You raised the bar continually so high. Phil, you bastard, this is for you. I hope you’re proud!”

Steve McQueen’s “12 Years a Slave” won only two of its 10 nominations, but along with the best actor prize, it won the big one, for best film. The director, who was joined by producer Brad Pitt on stage, said, “Right now there are 20 million people in slavery as we sit here.”

The other big award, for best British film, was “Gravity,” which ended up winning six of its 11 nominations, including for director Alfonso Cuarón, cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki (a frontrunner for an Oscar), and also for the movie’s sound, music, and special visual effects. In winning for best British film, the director explained, “You can’t tell by my accent, but I consider myself a British director. I have lived in London for the past 13 years,” he said, adding, “I am a good case for curbing immigration.”

American Hustle” won only for original screenplay for David O. Russell and Eric Warren Singer, and for best make-up and, deservedly, for its hair styling achievements.

“Dallas Buyers Club” came up empty, as did the four-time nominated “The Wolf of Wall Street.”

Adapted screenplay honors went to Steven Coogan and Jeff Pope for “Philomena.” Coogan was obviously moved by the win and mentioned again, as he had at the Film Society of Lincoln Center free series talk last week, that the prize was “vindication” that he was more than just a comic writer or performer.

Coogan thanked Dame Judi Dench, “who I’ve fallen in love with.” He said of Philomena Lee, who was in the audience, “She’s been heard but there are 1600 people who haven’t,” referring to all the other Irish women whose babies were forcibly taken away from their unwed mothers by the Irish church some half a century ago.

“Frozen” was selected as the best-animated feature, and “The Act of Killing” was named the best documentary.

Jennifer Lawrence (“American Hustle”), who was not at the ceremony, and Barkhad Abdi (“Captain Phillips”), who was, received the best supporting actor prizes. The humble and emotional Abdi thanked Tom Hanks and director Paul Greengrass, along with the other “pirates,” his two fellow cast members who portrayed kidnappers.

Highlights of the show included the presence of Oprah Winfrey, who was nominated for best supporting actress for “Lee Daniels’ ‘The Butler.’” She wore a lace-trimmed burgundy gown designed by Stella McCartney. Winfrey said the dress was still being stitched while she was in the car coming to the ceremony. “I’m stitched in,” she laughed.

On the red carpet, she said of the red carpet brouhaha, “All the screaming and stuff, I’m a little surprised. I thought it would be very British and subdued, but no!” Bafta’s recognition for her first screen appearance in 15 years was a “deep honor” she said. Her date was “Butler” co-star David Oyelowo.

Witty host Stephen Fry said of the star-studded audience, who also included Martin Scorsese, Bradley Cooper, Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, Christian Bale, Helen Mirren, Dame Judi Dench, Amy Adams, Uma Thurman and even Prince William, “There are faces here so famous we want to lick them.”

At the beginning of the ceremony, Fry asked DiCaprio to blow a kiss to the camera. “I shall never wash my eyes again,” he said, after the actor good-natured actor complied with his request.

Christian Bale was seen on the red carpet interacting and signing autographs for fans. Pitt arrived with Angelina Jolie, who looked elegant and subdued. The couple looked like they were wearing matching black tuxedos. Although they were the main attraction, it seemed they were trying to cede attention to the actors and filmmakers of “12 Years a Slave,” which was executive produced by Pitt, who also has a cameo in the film.

Prince William, who is the president of BAFTA, presented Helen Mirren with the Fellowship Award for her body of work, and said she was “an extremely talented British actress I should probably call Granny.” He couldn’t resist the crack, referencing her portrayal of his grandmother in “The Queen.”

As she took the stage with the royal, she thanked her husband, director Taylor Hackford, her first ever drama teacher, and quoted memorably from Shakespeare’s “Tempest,” in a passage that could describe the awards season: “And like the baseless fabric of this vision, the cloud-capped towers, the gorgeous palaces, the solemn temples, the great globe itself — Yea, all which it inherit — shall dissolve, and like this insubstantial pageant faded, leave not a rack behind. We are such stuff. As dreams are made on.”

As for what the BAFTAS mean to the Oscars, it means a boost for “12 Years a Slave,” which lately has been overshadowed by “Gravity,” in the awards race. The final showdown will be between these two terrific films.

Here’s a complete list of the BAFTA winners:

BEST FILM
**12 YEARS A SLAVE Anthony Katagas, Brad Pitt, Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, Steve McQueen
AMERICAN HUSTLE Charles Roven, Richard Suckle, Megan Ellison, Jonathan Gordon
CAPTAIN PHILLIPS Scott Rudin, Dana Brunetti, Michael De Luca
GRAVITY Alfonso Cuaron, David Heyman
PHILOMENA Gabrielle Tana, Steve Coogan, Tracey Seaward

OUTSTANDING BRITISH FILM

**GRAVITY Alfonso Cuaron, David Heyman, Jonas Cuaron
MANDELA: LONG WALK TO FREEDOM Justin Chadwick, Anant Singh, David M. Thompson, William Nicholson
PHILOMENA Stephen Frears, Gabrielle Tana, Steve Coogan, Tracey Seaward, Jeff Pope
RUSH Ron Howard, Andrew Eaton, Peter Morgan
SAVING MR. BANKS John Lee Hancock, Alison Owen, Ian Collie, Philip Steuer, Kelly Marcel, Sue Smith
THE SELFISH GIANT: Clio Barnard, Tracy O’Riordan

OUTSTANDING DEBUT BY A BRITISH WRITER, DIRECTOR OR PRODUCER
COLIN CARBERRY (Writer), GLENN PATTERSON (Writer) Good Vibrations
KELLY MARCEL (Writer) Saving Mr. Banks
**KIERAN EVANS (Director/Writer) Kelly + Victor
PAUL WRIGHT (Director/Writer), POLLY STOKES (Producer) For Those in Peril
SCOTT GRAHAM (Director/Writer) Shell

FILM NOT IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE

THE ACT OF KILLING Joshua Oppenheimer, Signe Byrge Sorensen
BLUE IS THE WARMEST COLOUR Abdellatif Kechiche, Brahim Chioua, Vincent Maraval
**THE GREAT BEAUTY Paolo Sorrentino, Nicola Giuliano, Francesca Cima
METRO MANILA Sean Ellis, Mathilde Charpentier
WADJDA Haifaa Al-Mansour, Gerhard Meixner, Roman Paul

DOCUMENTARY
**THE ACT OF KILLING Joshua Oppenheimer
THE ARMSTRONG LIE Alex Gibney
BLACKFISH Gabriela Cowperthwaite
TIM’S VERMEER Teller, Penn Jillette, Farley Ziegler
WE STEAL SECRETS: THE STORY OF WIKILEAKS Alex Gibney
ANIMATED FILM
DESPICABLE ME 2 Chris Renaud, Pierre Coffin
FROZEN Chris Buck, Jennifer Lee
MONSTERS UNIVERSITY Dan Scanlon

DIRECTOR
12 YEARS A SLAVE Steve McQueen
AMERICAN HUSTLE David O. Russell
CAPTAIN PHILLIPS Paul Greengrass
**GRAVITY Alfonso Cuaron
THE WOLF OF WALL STREET Martin Scorsese

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
**AMERICAN HUSTLE Eric Warren Singer, David O. Russell

BLUE JASMINE Woody Allen
GRAVITY Alfonso Cuaron, Jonas Cuaron
INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS Joel Coen, Ethan Coen
NEBRASKA Bob Nelson

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
12 YEARS A SLAVE John Ridley
BEHIND THE CANDELABRA Richard LaGravenese
CAPTAIN PHILLIPS Billy Ray
**PHILOMENA Steve Coogan, Jeff Pope
THE WOLF OF WALL STREET Terence Winter

LEADING ACTOR

BRUCE DERN Nebraska
**CHIWETEL EJIOFOR 12 Years a Slave
CHRISTIAN BALE American Hustle
LEONARDO DICAPRIO The Wolf of Wall Street
TOM HANKS Captain Phillips

LEADING ACTRESS
AMY ADAMS American Hustle
**CATE BLANCHETT Blue Jasmine
EMMA THOMPSON Saving Mr. Banks
JUDI DENCH Philomena
SANDRA BULLOCK Gravity

SUPPORTING ACTOR
**BARKHAD ABDI Captain Phillips

BRADLEY COOPER American Hustle
DANIEL BRUHL Rush
MATT DAMON Behind the Candelabra
MICHAEL FASSBENDER 12 Years a Slave

SUPPORTING ACTRESS
**JENNIFER LAWRENCE American Hustle

JULIA ROBERTS August: Osage County
LUPITA NYONG’O 12 Years a Slave
OPRAH WINFREY The Butler
SALLY HAWKINS Blue Jasmine

ORIGINAL MUSIC
12 YEARS A SLAVE Hans Zimmer
THE BOOK THIEF John Williams
CAPTAIN PHILLIPS Henry Jackman
**GRAVITY Steven Price

SAVING MR. BANKS Thomas Newman

CINEMATOGRAPHY

12 YEARS A SLAVE Sean Bobbitt
CAPTAIN PHILLIPS Barry Ackroyd
**GRAVITY Emmanuel Lubezki
INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS Bruno Delbonnel
NEBRASKA Phedon Papamichael

EDITING
12 YEARS A SLAVE Joe Walker
CAPTAIN PHILLIPS Christopher Rouse
GRAVITY Alfonso Cuaron, Mark Sanger
**RUSH Dan Hanley, Mike Hill
THE WOLF OF WALL STREET Thelma Schoonmaker

PRODUCTION DESIGN

12 YEARS A SLAVE Adam Stockhausen, Alice Baker
AMERICAN HUSTLE Judy Becker, Heather Loeffler
BEHIND THE CANDELABRA Howard Cummings
GRAVITY Andy Nicholson, Rosie Goodwin, Joanne Woodlard
**THE GREAT GATSBY Catherine Martin, Beverley Dunn

COSTUME DESIGN
AMERICAN HUSTLE Michael Wilkinson
BEHIND THE CANDELABRA Ellen Mirojnick
**THE GREAT GATSBY Catherine Martin
THE INVISIBLE WOMAN Michael O’Connor
SAVING MR. BANKS Daniel Orlandi

MAKE UP & HAIR
**AMERICAN HUSTLE Evelyne Noraz, Lori McCoy-Bell

BEHIND THE CANDELABRA Kate Biscoe, Marie Larkin
THE BUTLER Debra Denson, Beverly Jo Pryor, Candace Neal
THE GREAT GATSBY Maurizio Silvi, Kerry Warn
THE HOBBIT: THE DESOLATION OF SMAUG Peter Swords King, Richard Taylor, Rick Findlater

SOUND
ALL IS LOST Richard Hymns, Steve Boeddeker, Brandon Proctor, Micah Bloomberg, Gillian Arthur
CAPTAIN PHILLIPS Chris Burdon, Mark Taylor, Mike Prestwood Smith, Chris Munro, Oliver Tarney
**GRAVITY Glenn Freemantle, Skip Lievsay, Christopher Benstead, Niv Adiri, Chris Munro
INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS Peter F. Kurland, Skip Lievsay, Greg Orloff
RUSH Danny Hambrook, Martin Steyer, Stefan Korte, Markus Stemler, Frank Kruse

SPECIAL VISUAL EFFECTS
**GRAVITY Tim Webber, Chris Lawrence, David Shirk, Neil Corbould, Nikki Penny
THE HOBBIT: THE DESOLATION OF SMAUG Joe Letteri, Eric Saindon, David Clayton, Eric Reynolds
IRON MAN 3 Bryan Grill, Christopher Townsend, Guy Williams, Dan Sudick
PACIFIC RIM Hal Hickel, John Knoll, Lindy De Quattro, Nigel Sumner
STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS Ben Grossmann, Burt Dalton, Patrick Tubach, Roger Guyett

BRITISH SHORT ANIMATION
EVERYTHING I CAN SEE FROM HERE Bjorn-Erik Aschim, Friederike Nicolaus, Sam Taylor
I AM TOM MOODY Ainslie Henderson
**SLEEPING WITH THE FISHES James Walker, Sarah Woolner, Yousif Al-Khalifa

BRITISH SHORT FILM
ISLAND QUEEN Ben Mallaby, Nat Luurtsema
KEEPING UP WITH THE JONESES Megan Rubens, Michael Pearce, Selina Lim
ORBIT EVER AFTER Chee-Lan Chan, Jamie Stone, Len Rowles
**ROOM 8 James W. Griffiths, Sophie Venner
SEA VIEW Anna Duffield, Jane Linfoot

Oustanding British Contribution To Cinema 2014
Peter Greenaway

Fellowship Award 2014
Dame Helen Mirren

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