17/02/2025 - There were no clean sweeps this year, as numerous films shared the bounty at a ceremony presided over by David Tennant

After the success of All Quiet on the Western Front [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Edward Berger
film profile] at the 2023 BAFTA Awards, Edward Berger and colleagues found themselves celebrating once again with a night full of plaudits, as Conclave [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Red Carpet @ European Film …
film profile] nabbed both the Best Film and the Best British Film Awards at the 78th BAFTA Film Awards, presided over by David Tennant. The movie also won Best Editing and saw Peter Straughan get Best Adapted Screenplay for his work bringing the Robert Harris book of the same name to the big screen.

However, unlike All Quiet on the Western Front’s domination of the 2023 awards, Conclave was given a run for its money by Brady Corbet’s epic film about the American Dream, The Brutalist [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile]. Corbet picked up Best Director, whilst Adrien Brody continued his return to the A-list echelons with his win for Best Leading Actor. The film also walked away with the gongs for Best Cinematography and Best Original Score.

Sean Baker’s Palme d’Or-winning Anora followed the pack with a surprising win for Mikey Madison as Best Leading Actress (with Madison herself seemingly the most surprised out of everyone) and the Award for Best Casting. Also surprised by his award was Jesse Eisenberg, who picked up Best Original Screenplay for A Real Pain [+see also:
film review
film profile], and then returned to take possession of the Best Supporting Actor Award for an absent Kieran Culkin.

Once considered one of the frontrunners for the awards, a status that faltered after controversial comments from lead Karla Sofía Gascón came to light, Jacques Audiard’s Emilia Pérez [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] had to console itself with wins for Best Film Not in the English Language (in picking up the award, Audiard did manage to thank Gascón, amongst others) and for Zoe Saldaña as Best Supporting Actress.

Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer went to Rich Peppiatt for his ultra-popular comedy-drama Kneecap [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Red Carpet @ European Film …
film profile], whilst Best Documentary went to Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story by Ian Bonhôte and Peter Ettedgui.

Perhaps unsurprisingly for a British-based awards show, it was a national institution, Aardman, that won both the Best Animated Film and the Best Children’s and Family Film Award (a new prize introduced this year) with Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl having a most cracking night.

Both Wicked and Dune: Part Two gained recognition in the technical departments – the former winning for Best Production Design and Best Costume Design, and the latter garnering trophies for Best Visual Effects and Best Sound. The Substance [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Coralie Fargeat
film profile] grabbed its only award of the night with Best Make-up and Hair.

Best British Short Film went to Rock, Paper, Scissors, Franz Böhm’s story of a father and son running a makeshift hospital on the front line of the war, which is a product of the National Film and Television School. Best British Short Animation went to Nina Gantz’s Wander to Wonder, constituting the latest in a long line of plaudits for the film.

The publicly-voted-for EE Rising Star Award went to actor David Jonsson, whose credits include Rye Lane [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] and Alien: Romulus, while stalwart British thesp Warwick Davis was granted the BAFTA Fellowship Award, and received tributes on the night from the likes of Mark Hamill and George Lucas.

Here is the full list of award winners at the 78th BAFTA Awards:

Best Film
Conclave [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Red Carpet @ European Film …
film profile] – Edward Berger (UK/USA)

Best Leading Actress
Mikey Madison – Anora (USA)

Best Leading Actor
Adrien Brody - The Brutalist [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] (USA/UK/Hungary)

Best Director
Brady Corbet - The Brutalist

Outstanding British Film
Conclave - Edward Berger

Best Supporting Actress
Zoe Saldaña - Emilia Pérez [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] (France)

Best Supporting Actor
Kieran Culkin - A Real Pain [+see also:
film review
film profile] (USA/Poland)

Best Documentary
Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story - Ian Bonhôte, Peter Ettedgui (USA/UK)

Best Animated Film
Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl - Nick Park, Merlin Crossingham (UK)

Best Adapted Screenplay
Peter Straughan – Conclave

Best Original Screenplay
Jesse Eisenberg - A Real Pain

Best Film Not in the English Language
Emilia Pérez - Jacques Audiard

Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer
Kneecap [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Red Carpet @ European Film …
film profile] - Rich Peppiatt (Ireland/UK)

Children’s & Family Film
Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl - Nick Park, Merlin Crossingham

Best Cinematography
Lol Crawley - The Brutalist

Best Casting
Sean Baker, Samantha Quan – Anora

Best Editing
Nick Emerson - Conclave

Best Original Score
Daniel Blumberg - The Brutalist

Best Production Design
Nathan Crowley, Lee Sandales - Wicked (USA)

Best Special Visual Effects
Paul Lambert, Stephen James, Gerd Nefzer, Rhys Salcombe - Dune: Part Two (USA/Canada/United Arab Emirates/Hungary/Italy/New Zealand/Jordan/Gambia)

Best Sound
Ron Bartlett, Doug Hemphill, Gareth John, Richard King - Dune: Part Two

Best Costume Design
Paul Tazewell - Wicked

Best Make-up & Hair
Pierre-Olivier Persin, Stéphanie Guillon, Frédérique Arguello, Marilyne Scarselli - The Substance [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Coralie Fargeat
film profile] (UK/USA/France)

EE Rising Star Award
David Jonsson

Best British Short Film
Rock, Paper, Scissors - Franz Böhm (UK)

Best British Short Animation
Wander to Wonder - Nina Gantz (Netherlands/Belgium/France/UK)

BAFTA Fellowship Award
Warwick Davis