PapaL selection thriller Conclave and period drama The Brutalist were the big winners at the BAFTA Film Awards in London on Sunday, winning four prizes each.
Conclave, which had led nominations with 12 nods, won the night’s most coveted award, Best Film, as well as outstanding British film, best adapted screenplay and best editing.
“We live in a time of a crisis of democracy and institutions that are usually used to bring us together are used to pull us apart,” Conclave director Edward Berger said in his acceptance speech for the outstanding British Film Award. “And sometimes it’s hard to keep the faith in that situation, but that’s why we make movies and that’s why we made this movie.”
The Brutalist, a three-and-a-half hour tale about a Hungarian immigrant architect trying to rebuild his life in the United States post-World War II, had also been considered a frontrunner for best film. It won Best Director for Brady Corbet and Best Actor for its star, Adrien Brody.
“This film is really about this pursuit of leaving something meaningful and I think that is something we can all relate to,” Brody said in his acceptance speech. The Brutalist also won the awards for original score and cinematography.
In one of the big surprises of the night, Mikey Madison won the leading actress category for portraying an exotic dancer who gets involved with a Russian oligarch’s son in Anora.
Many had considered the frontrunners to be Demi Moore, who has received multiple honours for her performance in body horror The Substance, and Briton Marianne Jean-Baptiste, for her critically acclaimed portrayal of a woman struggling with depression in Hard Truths.
“I really wasn’t expecting this,” Madison said. “I want to take a moment to recognise the sex worker community … you deserve respect and human decency. I will always be your friend.”
Anora, considered a strong awards season contender after it and director Sean Baker triumphed at the Critics Choice Awards, as well as the Producers and Directors Guild of America Awards ahead of next month’s Academy Awards, was also up for Best Film, as was Bob Dylan biopic A Complete Unknown.
Saldana, Culkin win
Fellow Best Film nominee Emilia Perez, which mixes the diverse genres of musical and crime, triumphed in the ‘Film Not in the English Language Category’.
“This is too nice, you shouldn’t have done that,” director Jacques Audiard said, accepting his award. “This award is not just for me but everyone who worked tirelessly on this film.” He thanked the film’s cast members, including an absent Karla Sofia Gascon, who had been nominated for leading actress.
Zoe Saldana won the Best Supporting Actress Award for her portrayal of a lawyer who helps a Mexican cartel leader, played by Gascon, fake his death and transition from a man to a woman.
Emilia Perez had been an early awards frontrunner, but its campaign lost steam following controversy surrounding Gascon, who has apologised for past social media posts denigrating Muslims and other groups and said she would go silent to help the movie ahead of the Oscars.
In the Best Supporting Actor category, Kieran Culkin won for the dramedy A Real Pain.
The movie also picked up Best Original Screenplay Award for writer-director Jesse Eisenberg.
Piano tribute
The 78th edition of BAFTA saw Jeff Goldblum giving a moving piano tribute to renowned dignitaries such as David Lynch and Maggie Smith. The Wicked star, an accomplished jazz pianist with three albums to his name, played As Time Goes By in a tribute to the late stars. Blue Velvet director Lynch and Smith, star of Harry Potter and Downton Abbey, were left until last on the tribute reel in memoriam section.
All We Imagine As Light loses to Emilia Perez
Payal Kapadia’s critically acclaimed movie All We Imagine As Light lost out the BAFTA in the Best Film Not in the English Language category to French title Emilia Perez, also starring singer-actor Selena Gomez.Hours after the ceremony, the official Instagram page of Kapadia’s film shared a picture of the director mingling with fellow artistes. “Win or lose, good year for Indian films internationally @allweimagineaslightfilm,” read the caption of the Instagram Story.
Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story wins Best Documentary
There’s great news for fans of Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story as it won Best Documentary award at the 78th British Academy Film Awards. The documentary traces Reeve’s rise from an aspiring actor to a global star, beginning with his ground-breaking portrayal of Superman in the 1978 film. Reeve’s performance in four Superman films set a benchmark for the character and solidified his place in cinematic history.
Ariana Grande sizzles in pink gown
Singer-actress Ariana Grande rocked the ongoing edition of the BAFTA red carpet on Sunday with another enchanting look. The Wicked star, who’s been recognised throughout this year’s awards season for her role as Glinda, continued her streak of high-fashion looks at the 2025 BAFTA Awards. She arrived in a pretty pink and black gown that brought all the drama. Her plunging dress featured a black bodice and voluminous peachy-pink skirt with a gathered waistline. The sides of the bodice also dipped low enough to show off plenty of Grande’s tattoos. The actress accessorised it with dazzling jewellery, including a diamond necklace and pearl earrings. She kept her glam peachy pink to match her dress and slicked her hair back off her face with a little black bow.
Chalamet makes a statement
Hollywood royalties Timothee Chalamet, and his love interest Kylie Jenner were a sight to behold at the BAFTA Awards. The actor, who was nominated in the category of Leading Actor for A Complete Unknown, touched down on the red carpet in London in style, wearing a classic black Bottega Veneta suit with a black T-shirt underneath. He accessorised with Cartier jewellery. Though Jenner didn’t walk the carpet with him, she dazzled in her own right, wearing a slinky black gown with some sparkle, much like the other gowns she’s been wearing recently to accompany her boyfriend for his events.
Timothee Chalamet, 29, and Jenner, 27, were just in Berlin days ago at the Berlin Film Festival, where they spent part of their Valentine’s Day at a screening for Chalamet’s film, A Complete Unknown.
Colman owns the red carpet
Even if Colman Domingo didn’t win Best Actor for Sing Sing, he sure won the 2025 BAFTAs red carpet! Giving the traditional tuxedo a toss, the one of the most stylish Hollywood stars went for an over the top ensemble. He paired a bold, long, flared, empaneled leather Versace coat with an open shirt, black trousers and black gloves. Accessorising it with reportedly a Tiffany Bird on a Rock brooch, a Tifanny T T1 pendant and Tiffany earrings, he stood out in a sea of staple suits. Can’t wait for his Oscars look, or even better Met Gala! — Agencies
Winning note
BEST FILM: Conclave
OUTSTANDING BRITISH FILM: Conclave
DIRECTOR: Brady Corbet, The Brutalist
LEADING ACTOR: Adrien Brody,
The Brutalist
LEADING ACTRESS: Mikey Madison, Anora
SUPPORTING ACTOR: Kieran Culkin,
A Real Pain
SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Zoe Saldana, Emilia Perez
FILM NOT IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE:
Emilia Perez
