So, tonight we had the first part of the BAFTA award ceremony, covering more of the technical awards. A nice all female panel, led by Clara Ambo, made for an entertaining and informative broadcast.
Here are the results.
Production Design
The nominations were:
- THE DIG Maria Djurkovic, Tatiana Macdonald
- THE FATHER Peter Francis, Cathy Featherstone
- MANK Donald Graham Burt, Jan Pascale
- NEWS OF THE WORLD David Crank, Elizabeth Keenan
- REBECCA Sarah Greenwood, Katie Spencer
And the BAFTA award winner was: Mank.
Of the one’s I’ve seen (all but “The Father”), all are worthy nominees, but I wasn’t disappointed by this result.
Sound
The nominations were:
- GREYHOUND Nominees Beau Borders, Christian P. Minkler, Michael Minkler, Warren Shaw, David Wyman
- NEWS OF THE WORLD Michael Fentum, William Miller, Mike Prestwood Smith, John Pritchett, Oliver Tarney
- NOMADLAND Sergio Diaz, Zach Seivers, M. Wolf Snyder
- SOUL Coya Elliott, Ren Klyce, David Parker
- SOUND OF METAL Jaime Baksht, Nicolas Becker, Phillip Bladh, Carlos Cortés, Michelle Couttolenc
And the BAFTA award winner was: The Sound of Metal.
I thought that “Soul” might get this, but given the subject matter of “The Sound of Metal” (and the extraordinary efforts made to create the soundscape of the film) this seems a worthy winner.
Special Visual Effects
The nominations were:
- GREYHOUND Pete Bebb, Nathan McGuinness, Sebastian von Overheidt
- THE MIDNIGHT SKY Matt Kasmir, Chris Lawrence, David Watkins
- MULAN Sean Faden, Steve Ingram, Anders Langlands, Seth Maury
- THE ONE AND ONLY IVAN Santiago Colomo Martinez, Nick Davis, Greg Fisher
- TENET Scott Fisher, Andrew Jackson, Andrew Lockley
And the BAFTA award winner was: Tenet.
As I predicted for this one.
Costume Design
The nominations were:
- AMMONITE Michael O’Connor
- THE DIG Alice Babidge
- EMMA. Alexandra Byrne
- MA RAINEY’S BLACK BOTTOM Ann Roth
- MANK Trish Summerville
And the BAFTA award winner was: Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.
I soooooo wanted “Emma” to win this one (as it has been – imho – sadly overlooked here). But they gave it to “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” which, having now seen it, I can’t argue with.
Casting
The nominations were:
- CALM WITH HORSES Shaheen Baig
- JUDAS AND THE BLACK MESSIAH Alexa L. Fogel
- MINARI Julia Kim
- PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN Lindsay Graham Ahanonu, Mary Vernieu
- ROCKS Lucy Pardee
And the BAFTA award winner was: Rocks.
Have still to see ALL of these films (#embarassing), so I can’t comment.
Make up & Hair
The nominations were:
- THE DIG Jenny Shircore
- HILLBILLY ELEGY Patricia Dehaney, Eryn Krueger Mekash, Matthew Mungle
- MA RAINEY’S BLACK BOTTOM Matiki Anoff, Larry M. Cherry, Sergio Lopez-Rivera, Mia Neal
- MANK Kimberley Spiteri, Gigi Williams
- PINOCCHIO Mark Coulier
And the BAFTA award winner was: Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.
Having now seen this film, and Viola Davis’s astonishing transformation, I can’t really argue.
British Short Animation
The nominations were:
- THE FIRE NEXT TIME Renaldho Pelle, Yanling Wang, Kerry Jade Kolbe
- THE OWL AND THE PUSSYCAT Mole Hill, Laura Duncalf
- THE SONG OF A LOST BOY Daniel Quirke, Jamie MacDonald, Brid Arnstein
And the BAFTA award winner was The Owl and the Pussycat.
British Short Film
The nominations were:
- EYELASH Jesse Lewis Reece, Ike Newman
- LIZARD Akinola Davies, Rachel Dargavel, Wale Davies
- LUCKY BREAK John Addis, Rami Sarras Pantoja
- MISS CURVY Ghada Eldemellawy
- THE PRESENT Farah Nabulsi
And the BAFTA award winner was: The Present.
Outstanding Contribution to Cinema Award (The Michael Balcon award).
The BAFTA award this year went to Noel Clarke.
Clarke – a previous winner of a Rising Star award – has not only been an actor but also a prolific director and producer of British film. I have in the recent past (see “Twist” and “SAS Red Notice“) been critical of Clarke’s acting choices. In his acceptance speech he neatly commented that “not all” of his performances have been “BAFTA worthy” – which made me a) snort with laughter and b) have ENORMOUS respect for the realism and pragmatism of the man.
He then went on to give one of the most moving speeches about young people (and in particular, young black people) having faith and confidence in their own abilities. It was truly moving and exceptional, and I had tears in my eyes. My respect for the guy has gone up immensely. Well deserved sir!
