Online Reporter
LONDON. — Last year, the BAFTA Awards were hugely predictive, especially in the crafts categories.
They anticipated the impact of the international voting bloc at the Oscars.
“Oppenheimer” took seven wins and went on to take seven Oscars as well.
The way to read this year’s wins is to distinguish the local favourites from the ones likely to repeat at the Oscars, where the winners must garner both stateside and overseas support.
This year’s big BAFTA winner, British film “Conclave,” had 12 BAFTA nominations versus eight Oscar nods, and won four including Best Film.
“Audiences around the world embraced the movie in a big way,” said director Edward Berger. With mainstream appeal, “Conclave” will be a strong contender in three Oscar categories, including Picture, Editing, and Adapted Screenplay for Peter Straughan, who also won both Golden Globe and Critics Choice awards.
But Britain’s beloved Ralph Fiennes lost Best Actor to American Adrien Brody (“The Brutalist“), which will likely repeat at the Oscars.
“This film is about leaving something meaningful and I’m sure you can relate to that,” Brody said to the audience as his Oscar rivals Fiennes and Timothée Chalamet soberly looked on.
The Brutalist” also took Best Director for Brady Corbet, Cinematography, and Score, which could repeat on Oscar night, but lost Original Screenplay to surprise winner, the multi-hyphenate Jesse Eisenberg, for “A Real Pain,” which continued its Supporting Actor sweep for Kieran Culkin.
Best Production Design went not to “The Brutalist” but “Wicked,” which also took Costume Design, which should repeat at the Oscars.
While “Anora” did not continue its recent winning streak, losing Best Film, Director, and Original Screenplay, the raucous comedy did win Best Casting and in a major twist, Best Actress for American breakout Mikey Madison, beating favourite Demi Moore for “The Substance,” whose body horror movie did win the expected Makeup and Hairstyling award.
We have a two-way race for the Best Actress Oscar.
“You literally made my dreams come true,” she said to director Sean Baker.
Beleaguered European Film winner “Emilia Pérez” did not go home empty-handed, taking Film Not in the English Language and Best Supporting Actress for Zoe Saldaña, who thanked both of her castmates Selena Gomez and Karla Sofia Gascón, who did not attend.
“This is so validating,” Saldaña said. “This was a creative challenge of a lifetime.
How do you begin to even approach a film that defies categorization? You start by taking the lead from Jacques Audiard.” — www.indiewire.com.
Mathew Masinge