Film stars from across the world came together last week for the highlight of the British film calendar: The BAFTAs.
On Sunday 19th February, the glitzy, star-studded event was held at the Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall for the first time, unlike previous years where it took place at London’s infamous Royal Albert Hall.
With the guest list rumoured to be lengthy, it did not disappoint. Stars including Emma Thompson, Billy Nighy, Martin Freeman, Florence Pugh, Lily James and Regé-Jean Page to name a few, were seen gracing the red carpet before finding their seats.
Royalty was also present with the Prince of Wales attending as President of BAFTA, accompanied by the Princess of Wales. This was the couple’s first appearance at the BAFTAs in three years, following the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Prince and Princess of Wales at London’s Royal Festival Hall for the EE BAFTA awards tonight. #BAFTA2023 pic.twitter.com/ZEqWLFCszu
— Matt Wilkinson (@MattSunRoyal) February 19, 2023
In addition to its new venue, the evening was hosted by Oscar and BAFTA nominee Richard E Grant and This Morning TV presenter, Alison Hammond. While Grant took on the role of presenting the main show, Hammond led in the BAFTA Backstage Studio, where past BAFTA winners, nominees, and presenters mingled.
Obviously nervous, Grant stumbled on his words a little, but soon got into the swing of it. As for Hammond, her chatty backstage studio caused controversy amongst viewers at home, with some praising the move, calling Hammond a ‘national treasure’, but others suggesting that the segments were ‘cringeworthy’.
The 76th Annual Ceremony was like no other before it. For the first time in BAFTA history, part of the night was broadcast live. The show opted for a hybrid form of viewing with the first hundred minutes broadcast with some delay and the last 20 minutes broadcast live.
The last four awards – Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Film and EE Rising Star – were not only revealed to all the guests present at the event but audiences at home in real-time, which viewers praised online after the event.
Many of the stars present, such as Michelle Yeoh, Jamie Lee Curtis, Colin Farrell, Paul Mescal and Angela Bassett, wore a blue ribbon to show their support and solidarity for the #WithRefugees initiative.
A spokesperson for the scheme said: “The wearing of the blue #WithRefugees ribbon on the red carpet sends a powerful message that everyone has the right to seek safety, whoever, wherever, whenever.”
The initiative has helped displaced people all around the world, including those affected by the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the recent Turkey-Syria earthquakes.
The show opened with last year’s Best Supporting Actress winner, Ariana DeBose, performing a rendition of Sisters Are Doin’ It For Themselves with a rap section naming several of the evening’s female nominees, including Viola Davis, Cate Blanchett, and Ana De Armas. The performance caused much discussion among viewers, with many saying it was ‘embarrassing’.
However, once Dame Helen Mirren appeared everything seemed to settle. Her role for the evening was to pay tribute to the late Queen Elizabeth II. She delivered an emotional tribute that thanked the Queen:”‘Your Majesty, you were our nation’s leading star. On behalf of BAFTA, thank you for all that you have done for our film and television industry.”
A beautiful tribute to the late #QueenElizabethII by Dame Helen Mirren at #BAFTA2023 😢 @BAFTA
— Kensington Blue 💙 (@kensingtonblue) February 19, 2023
As the awards were handed out, the favourite of the night seemed to be Netflix’s anti-war epic, All Quiet On The Western Front. Winning seven out of its 14 nominations, it broke the record for the highest number of BAFTAs won by a foreign language film.
The other big winners of the evening included Elvis which picked up four awards including Best Actor for Austin Butler, Makeup and hair, Costume design and Casting. The Banshees of Inisherin also won four awards for Original Screenplay, Supporting Actor, Supporting Actress and Outstanding British Film.
Other honourable mentions of the night include Aftersun which won Outstanding debut by a British writer, director or producer for Charlotte Wells directorship, Avatar: The Way of Water which won Special Visual Effects, and Tár which won Best Actress for Cate Blanchett’s performance.
In spite of this though, this year’s BAFTAs have faced backlash after it was revealed that all the winners of the awards were white. People belonging to ethnic minorities made up almost 40 per cent of the nominees, yet none were awarded. Film and TV critic and BAFTA jury member Ashanti Omkar said she “felt devastated” after watching the ceremony and seeing the winner’s group photo. This conversation comes just three years after the #BaftasSoWhite campaign.
Nevertheless, with the Oscars fast approaching, British film from the past year is bound to be praised for its efforts.
Image credits: Felix Mooneeram on Unsplash