The 2020 British Academy Film Awards, or BAFTAs as they are more popularly referred to, were held last night at the Royal Albert Hall in London. The ceremony is generally regarded as the UK’s equivalent of the Oscars, and as such, one of its biggest predictors. It was hosted by British comedian, Graham Norton, as the best films that were screened at British cinemas in 2019 were honored. And much like I had predicted a month ago, 1917 dominated the ceremony by winning both Best Film and Outstanding British Film.
The World War I epic took home a total of 7 awards, out of its 9 nominations. These included Best Production Design, Best Sound, Best Special Visual Effects, Best Director for Sam Mendes, and a much-expected win in the Best Cinematography category for Roger Deakins. Other notable winners include Joker (Best Actor for Joaquin Phoenix, Best Score and the newly-inaugurated category, Best Casting) and Parasite (Best Film not in the English language and Best Original Screenplay).
The full list of nominees and categories can be found below (winners highlighted in bold):
Best Film
- 1917
- The Irishman
- Joker
- Once Upon A Time… In Hollywood
- Parasite
Outstanding British Film
- 1917
- Bait
- For Sama
- Rocketman
- Sorry We Missed You
- The Two Popes
Best Actress in a Leading Role
- Jessie Buckley, Wild Rose
- Scarlett Johansson, Marriage Story
- Saoirse Ronan, Little Women
- Charlize Theron, Bombshell
- Renée Zellweger, Judy
Best Actor in a Leading Role
- Leonardo Dicaprio, Once Upon A Time… In Hollywood
- Adam Driver, Marriage Story
- Taron Egerton, Rocketman
- Joaquin Phoenix, Joker
- Jonathan Pryce, The Two Popes
Best Actress in a Leading Role
- Laura Dern, Marriage Story
- Scarlett Johansson, Jojo Rabbit
- Florence Pugh, Little Women
- Margot Robbie, Bombshell
- Margot Robbie, Once Upon A Time… In Hollywood
Best Actor in a Supporting Role
- Tom Hanks, A Beautiful Day In The Neighborhood
- Anthony Hopkins, The Two Popes
- Al Pacino, The Irishman
- Joe Pesci, The Irishman
- Brad Pitt, Once Upon A Time… In Hollywood
Best Director
- Sam Mendes, 1917
- Martin Scorsese, The Irishman
- Todd Phillips, Joker
- Quentin Tarantino, Once Upon A Time… In Hollywood
- Bong Joon-Ho, Parasite
EE Rising Star Award (voted for by the public)
- Awkwafina
- Jack Lowden
- Kaitlyn Dever
- Kelvin Harrison Jr.
- Micheal Ward
Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer
- Bait, Mark Jenkin (Writer/Director), Kate Byers, Linn Waite (Producers)
- For Sama, Waad Al-Kateab (Director/Producer), Edward Watts (Director)
- Maiden, Alex Holmes (Director)
- Only You, Harry Wootliff (Writer/Director)
- Retablo, Álvaro Delgado-Aparicio (Writer/Director)
Best Film Not in the English language
- The Farewell
- For Sama
- Pain And Glory
- Parasite
- Portrait Of A Lady On Fire
Best Documentary
- American Factory
- Apollo 11
- Diego Maradona
- For Sama
- The Great Hack
Best Animated Film
- Frozen 2
- Klaus
- A Shaun The Sheep Movie: Farmageddon
- Toy Story 4
Best Original Screenplay
- Booksmart
- Knives Out
- Marriage Story
- Once Upon A Time… In Hollywood
- Parasite
Best Adapted Screenplay
- The Irishman
- Jojo Rabbit
- Joker
- Little Women
- The Two Popes
Best Original Score
- 1917
- Jojo Rabbit
- Joker
- Little Women
- Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker
Best Cinematography
- 1917
- The Irishman
- Joker
- Le Mans ’66
- The Lighthouse
Best Costume Design
- The Irishman
- Jojo Rabbit
- Judy
- Little Women
- Once Upon A Time… In Hollywood
Best Editing
- The Irishman
- Jojo Rabbit
- Joker
- Le Mans ’66
- Once Upon A Time… In Hollywood
Best Production Design
- 1917
- The Irishman
- Jojo Rabbit
- Joker
- Once Upon A Time… In Hollywood
Best Makeup and hair
- 1917
- Bombshell
- Joker
- Judy
- Rocketman
Best Sound
- 1917
- Joker
- Le Mans ’66
- Rocketman
- Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker
Best Special Visual Effects
- 1917
- Avengers: Endgame
- The Irishman
- The Lion King
- Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker
Best British Short Film
- Azaar
- Goldfish
- Kamali
- Learning To Skateboard In A Warzone (If You’re A Girl)
- The Trap
Best British Short Animation
- Grandad Was A Romantic
- In Her Boots
- The Magic Boat
Best Casting
- Joker
- Marriage Story
- Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood
- The Personal History of David Copperfield
- The Two Popes
With its dominance over the BAFTAs and awards season in general, it looks like 1917 has once again cemented its position as the film to beat come next Sunday when the Academy Awards air. Do you think it is going to dominate that ceremony as well, or do you feel that Parasite is the dark horse in this awards race? Let us know in the comments section below.