The 2022 British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) Film awards have been revealed at London’s Royal Albert Hall, in a ceremony hosted by Rebel Wilson. Dune was the biggest numerical winner, bagging five awards in the craft categories. However, it was Jane Campion’s western The Power of the Dog that won two of the academy’s most prestigious awards, best film and best director. Campion is only the third woman in the awards’ 75-year history to win the latter prize.
BAFTA chair Krishnendu Majumdar started the evening by paying tribute to the people of Ukraine. Many of the stars on the red carpet, such as Benedict Cumberbatch and Stephen Graham, wore the Ukrainian colours to show their support. Cumberbatch told BBC News, “This is a celebration of an industry that’s about imagery, and images speaking as loud as, if not louder sometimes, than words. So it's a small gesture.”
Why Benedict Cumberbatch Stopped Showering for ‘The Power of the Dog’ Dame Shirley Bassey kicked off the glitzy proceedings with a typically powerful rendition of her 1971 hit “Diamonds Are Forever” from the James Bond film of the same name. The 85-year-old diva earned a standing ovation for her performance at this the first in-person BAFTA Film Awards since the pandemic.
Director Denis Villeneuve’s sci-fi epic Dune won five awards out of its 11 nominations, the most prizes on the night. All of them were in the craft categories, including sound, visual effects, production design, cinematography, and for Hans Zimmer’s score.
BAFTA’s top prize, best film, went to Netflix Western The Power of the Dog. Its director Jane Campion was not present to pick up the award or her own best director gong, but leading actor Benedict Cumberbatch accepted for her. He offered a “open-hearted sandwich of thanks” on her behalf.
“All hail the streaming revolution, but all hail the big screen, too. It's alive!”
Accepting the Outstanding British Film BAFTA for homegrown hit Belfast, director Sir Kenneth Branagh told the hall, “All hail the streaming revolution, but all hail the big screen, too. It’s alive! And long may they live together.” He said his black-and-white retelling of his Belfast childhood during the Troubles was “not an easy pitch,” but added: “If you build it, they will come.”
When it came to the acting awards, many of the bookies’ favourites won through. Will Smith won his first BAFTA for best actor for his portrayal of tennis titan Richard Williams in King Richard. Fellow Oscar favourite and West Side Story star Ariana DeBose won best supporting actress, while the best supporting actor BAFTA went to CODA star Troy Kotsur, who became the first deaf actor to win the prize. Speaking in American Sign Language onstage, Kotsur thanked the British Academy and joked, “I would just like to say congratulations to James Bond, 007, for the 60th anniversary. Have you considered maybe a deaf James Bond, 008?”
Amid the favourites, though, there was one very popular surprise. Veteran British actress Joanna Scanlan won best actress for her portrayal of a Muslim convert in the independent British film After Love. A clearly delighted Scanlan said, “Some stories have surprise endings, don’t they?” She beat a starry lineup of actresses, including Lady Gaga and Tessa Thompson, for the top prize.
Elsewhere, the EE Rising Star award was presented by 2021 winner Bukky Bakray and Lady Gaga to No Time to Die star Lashana Lynch. In her speech, Lynch thanked actors such as Carmen Munroe and “the women of this country who taught me what it is to be in this industry as a dark-skinned woman. I thank you for laying the foundation for people like me.”
Other major winners included Japanese director Ryûsuke Hamaguchi’s Oscar-nominated drama Drive My Car, which was named best film not in the English language. Disney hit musical Encanto won best animated feature, and Sian Heder won the adapted screenplay prize for CODA. Best original screenplay went to Paul Thomas Anderson for Licorice Pizza and Questlove’s 1960s Harlem music doc Summer of Soul won the best documentary prize.
A full list of this year’s BAFTA winners can be found here. This year’s Oscars will be held in L.A. on March 27.
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