While the biggest night in Hollywood for films is still 12 days away; across the pond the celebration for their biggest night of the industry was in full swing at the 2011 British Academy Film Awards hosted by BAFTA (British Academy of Film and Television Arts) on Sunday. In a show of patriotic pride, The King’s Speech swept the awards with a grand seven wins out of 14 nominations including Best Film and 3 of the 4 acting categories. Stars Colin Firth, Helena Bonham Carter and Geoffrey Rush won respectively for Lead Actor, Supporting Actress and Supporting Actor. They beat out the likes of fellow Brit and Hollywood favourite Christian Bale for American film The Fighter, his previously Oscar nominated co-star Amy Adams and 127 Hours‘ James Franco.
Aside from the big winner of the evening, Inception was shut out of the major categories but won some technical awards such as Special Visual Effects. The Social Network was all but left behind in The King’s Speech‘s dust but there was some bright spots for the American darling as David Fincher took home Best Director, accepted on his behalf by Jesse Eisenberg and Andrew Garfield as Fincher was absent due to prior commitments. The Social Network also walked away with Adapted Screenplay and Natalie Portman (who was also absent because of travel concerns regarding her pregnancy) snagged Lead Actress for Black Swan. As these are awarded in an entirely different country and industry might it still reflect what will happen at the Oscars February 27? Below is a list of winners and take a peek at the official BAFTA site for a full list of nominees and winners.
Best Film
The King’s Speech
Outstanding British Film
The King’s Speech
Director
David Fincher – The Social Network
Outstanding Debut By A British Writer, Director Or Producer
Chris Morris – Four Lions
Leading Actor
Colin Firth – The King’s Speech
Leading Actress
Natalie Portman – Black Swan
Supporting Actor
Geoffrey Rush – The King’s Speech
Supporting Actress
Helena Bonham Carter – The King’s Speech
Original Screenplay
The King’s Speech – David Seidler
Adapted Screenplay
The Social Network – Aaron Sorkin
Film Not In The English Language
The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo
Animated Film
Toy Story 3
Original Music
The King’s Speech – Alexandre Desplat
Cinematography
True Grit – Roger Deakins
Editing
The Social Network – Angus Wall, Kirk Baxter
Production Design
Inception – Guy Hendrix Dyas, Larry Dias, Doug Mowa
Costume Design
Alice in Wonderland – Colleen Atwood
Sound
Inception – Richard King, Lora Hirschberg, Gary A Rizzo, Ed Novick
Special Visual Effects
Inception – Corbould, Franklin, Lockley, Bebb
Make Up & Hair
Alice in Wonderland – Valli O’Reilly, Paul Gooch
Short Animation
The Eagleman Stag – Michael Pleas
Short Film
Until the River Runs Red – Paul Wright, Poss Kondeatis
Academy Fellowship
Sir Christopher Lee
Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema
The Harry Potter Films
Orange Wednesdays Rising Award
Tom Hardy