20/02/2006

Ang Lee’s gay cowboy film Brokeback Mountain was the big winner at last night’s BAFTA Awards ceremony in London, adding four top awards, including Best Film and Best Director, to its already long list of international prizes that began in Venice with the Golden Lion and will most certainly continue at the Oscars on March 5.

The UK’s biggest film ceremony was disappointing for the many hopeful domestic productions, such as the most-nominated film The Constant Gardener [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile], which only won one BAFTA (Best Editing) out of 10 nominations. Stephen Frears’ excellent musical film Mrs Henderson Presents also left empty handed despite its four nominations. The film’s leading actress, Dame Judi Dench, once again lost to the Golden Globe winner, US actress Reese Witherspoon from Walk The Line. Another big loser was George Clooney and his Good Night, And Good Luck, nominated six times but totally ignored at the final awards.

Two UK filmmakers did make it to the stage, however: Joe Wright, director of the Working Title production Pride & Prejudice [+see also:
trailer
film profile], who won the Best First Film, and Nick Park, creator of the internationally beloved animated characters Wallace And Gromit, whose first feature-length screen adventures Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit [+see also:
trailer
film profile] was voted Best British Film of the year. "This is just amazing", said Park upon receiving his award. “I was so delighted to be nominated alongside all the proper films tonight, I never thought I’d be up here!"

Another well-deserved European winner at the BAFTAs was French film The Beat My Heart Skipped [+see also:
trailer
film profile] by Jacques Audiard, chosen as Best Film Not In The English language. Released by Artificial Eye, Audiard’s film has grossed over £400,000 at the UK box office.

Full list of BAFTA Awards:

ACADEMY FELLOWSHIP
Lord Puttnam

THE MICHAEL BALCON AWARD for Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema
Robert (Chuck) Finch and Bill Merrell

BEST FILM
BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN
Produced by Diana Ossana/James Schamus

THE ALEXANDER KORDA AWARDfor the Outstanding British Film of the Year
WALLACE & GROMIT: THE CURSE OF THE WERE-RABBIT
Produced by Claire Jennings/David Sproxton/Nick Park/Steve Box/Mark Burton/Bob Baker

THE CARL FOREMAN AWARD for Special Achievement by a British Director, Writer or Producer in their First Feature Film
JOE WRIGHT (Director) - Pride & Prejudice

THE DAVID LEAN AWARD for Achievement in Direction
BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN - Ang Lee

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
CRASH - Paul Haggis/Bobby Moresco

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN - Larry McMurtry/Diana Ossana

BEST FILM NOT IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE
DE BATTRE MON COEUR S'EST ARRÊTÉ (The Beat That My Heart Skipped)
directed by Jacques Audiard and produced by Pascal Caucheteux

BEST ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE
PHILIP SEYMOUR HOFFMAN - Capot

BEST ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE
REESE WITHERSPOON - Walk the Line

BEST ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
JAKE GYLLENHAAL - Brokeback Mountain

BEST ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
THANDIE NEWTON - Crash

THE ANTHONY ASQUITH AWARD for Achievement in Film Music
MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA - John Williams

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA - Dion Beebe

BEST EDITING
THE CONSTANT GARDENER - Claire Simpson

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN
HARRY POTTER AND THE GOBLET OF FIRE - Stuart Craig

BEST COSTUME DESIGN
MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA - Colleen Atwood

BEST SOUND
WALK THE LINE - Paul Massey/D M Hemphill/Peter F Kurland/Donald Sylvester

BEST SPECIAL VISUAL EFFECTS
KING KONG - Joe Letteri/Christian Rivers/Brian Van't Hul/Richard Taylor

BEST MAKE-UP AND HAIR
THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE - Howard Berger/Gregory Nicotero/Nikki Gooley

BEST SHORT ANIMATION FILM
FALLEN ART - Jarek Sawko/Piotr Sikora/Tomek Baginski

BEST SHORT FILM
ANTONIO'S BREAKFAST - Howard Stogdon/Amber Templemore-Finlayson/Daniel Mulloy

THE ORANGE RISING STAR AWARD
James McAvoy