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Historical tragicomedy The Favourite has lived up to its title, dominating the UK’s equivalent to the Oscars overnight.
Key points:
- The Favourite won seven out of the 12 awards it was nominated for
- Australians Fiona Crombie (Production Design) and Tony McNamara (Original Screenplay) won for their work on the film
- Margot Robbie missed out on an award for her role as Queen Elizabeth in Mary Queens of Scots
The period film was named the Outstanding British Film at the British Academy Film Awards (BAFTAs), taking out seven of its 12 nominations.
Australian production designer Fiona Crombie accepted a BAFTA alongside co-designer Alice Felton, with the pair dedicating their win to “every woman and working mother who keeps it together and makes it happen.”
Another Australian working on the film, Tony McNamara, was given a BAFTA for his original screenplay, an award he shared with co-writer Deborah Davis.
It comes after McNamara won a Golden Globe in the same category in January, with this double win adding to expectations he could take home an Academy Award later this month.
Olivia Colman won the Best Actress in a Leading Role prize for her performance as Queen Anne in The Favourite, while the Supporting Actress award went to her co-star Rachel Weisz.
“This is for all three of us,” Colman said, speaking of Weisz and the film’s other star, Emma Stone.
“It’s got my name on it but we can scratch on some other ones.”
Australia’s Margot Robbie was also nominated for Supporting Actress for her role as Queen Elizabeth I in Mary Queen of Scots.
Last year, she missed out on the Leading Actress award for her biopic I, Tonya.
Rami Malek was presented the Leading Actor award for his role as Freddie Mercury in Bohemian Rhapsody, while Mahershala Ali was named best supporting actor as a concert pianist in Green Book.
Black-and-white Netflix drama Roma was named best film on the night.
“To see a film about an indigenous domestic worker embraced this way, in an age where fear and anger propose to divide us, means the world to me,” the film’s writer and director Alfonso Cuaron (who won an Oscar for 2013’s Gravity) said.
“Whether we like it or not, we’re all connected, sharing a space in time, and when we finally chose to embrace that connection, to show compassion to one another, we all rise together.”
Other winners included Spike Lee’s BlacKkKlansman for best adapted screenplay and the Bradley Cooper-directed A Star is Born for music.
Royal appearances
The film stars were joined by The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge on the night, with Royal Albert Hall practically silent as the pair took their seats.
Prince William, the president of the British film academy, presented its top honour, a BAFTA Fellowship, to film editor Thelma Schoonmaker.
He and the Duchess, who wore an Alexander McQueen gown, congratulated the winners after the ceremony.
The Prince introduced Cate Blanchett to the stage, who took to the podium to speak about Schoonmaker’s career.
Blanchett’s Christopher Kane gown caused chatter on social media, with fans pointing out the similarities between the gemstone details and the Infinity Stones from the Marvel film franchise.
Women still under-represented
The number of female nominees was higher this year, but there has been criticism of the academy’s failure to nominate any female filmmakers in the best director category.
Only one woman has ever won the directing prize, being Kathryn Bigelow for The Hurt Locker in 2010.
BAFTA chairwoman Pippa Harris said only 10 per cent of films nominated for this year’s awards were directed by women.
“It needs to be 50 per cent,” Ms Harris said.
“There has been a traditional problem with getting females to be noticed in terms of their TV work and then get picked up to make feature films.
“Men seem to find that transition much easier.”
Academy excludes accused director
Last week, the British academy suspended director Bryan Singer’s nomination as part of the team behind Bohemian Rhapsody after four men accused him of sexually assaulting them when they were minors.
BAFTA said the alleged abuse was “completely unacceptable” and incompatible with its values.
Singer, who was fired while the film was in mid-production in 2017, denies the allegations.
ABC/Wires
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