Oppenheimer dominates Baftas as Cillian Murphy and Christopher Nolan win top prizes
Oppenheimer swept tonight's Baftas as all eyes now turn to the Oscars, ITV News Entertainment Reporter Rishi Davda has the latest
Oppenheimer and Poor Things have won the top prizes at this year's Baftas with Christopher Nolan’s epic biopic winning film of the year.
Cillian Murphy won the leading actor Bafta for playing the leading role as J. Robert Oppenheimer with Nolan picking up best director.
While Accepting the trophy he paid tribute to “the most dynamic, kindest producer-director partnership in Hollywood: Chris Nolan and Emma Thomas, thank you for seeing something in me that I probably didn’t see in myself.”
The Irish actor said to Nolan: “Thank for always pushing me and demanding excellence because that is what you deliver time and time again.”
He also acknowledged his “fellow nominees and my Oppenhomies”, adding: “I know it’s a cliche to say, but I’m in awe of you.”
He said J. Robert Oppenheimer, known as the father of the atomic bomb, was a “colossally knotty character”, adding: “We have a space to debate and interrogate and investigate that complexity and it’s a privilege to be a part of this community with you all.”
London-born director Nolan’s Oppenheimer, about the father of the atomic bomb, could be the favourite on the night with 13 nominations, while there are 11 nods for Greek filmmaker Yorgos Lanthimos’s surreal tale Poor Things.
Robert Downey Jr also won best supporting actor for playing Lewis Strauss, head of the Atomic Energy Commission in the years after the Second World War.
The leading actress Bafta was won by Emma Stone for Poor Things.
American actress Stone said she was “in awe” of all of the team behind the surreal comedy, where she plays Bella Baxter – a woman who is reanimated and implanted with the brain of a baby.
She paid tribute to the writers for coming up with the line “I must go punch that baby” in a memorable dinner scene, and also hailed director Yorgos Lanthimos for “our friendship and the gift of Bella”.
Also thanking her mother, Stone said: “She kind of made me believe this crazy idea that I can do something like this.”
The full list of Bafta winners
Film – Oppenheimer’s Christopher Nolan, Charles Roven and Emma Thomas
Director – Oppenheimer’s Christopher Nolan
Supporting actress – The Holdovers’ Da’Vine Joy Randolph
Supporting actor – Oppenheimer’s Robert Downey Jr
Leading actor – Oppenheimer’s Cillian Murphy
Leading actress – Poor Things’ Emma Stone
Outstanding debut – Earth Mama’s Savanah Leaf, Shirley O’Connor and Medb Riordan
Bafta Fellowship – Samantha Morton
Outstanding British contribution to cinema – June Givanni
Rising star – Mia McKenna-Bruce
Outstanding British film – The Zone Of Interest’s Jonathan Glazer and James Wilson
Film not in the English language – The Zone Of Interest’s Jonathan Glazer and James Wilson
Documentary – 20 Days In Mauripol’s Mstyslav Chernov, Raney Aronson Rath, Michelle Mizner
Animated film – The Boy And The Heron’s Hayao Miyazaki and Toshio Suzuki
Original screenplay – Anatomy Of A Fall’s Justine Triet and Arthur Harari
Adapted screenplay – American Fiction’s Cord Jefferson
Original score – Oppenheimer’s Ludwig Goransson
Casting – The Holdovers’ Susan Shopmaker
Cinematography – Oppenheimer’s Hoyte van Hoytema
Editing – Oppenheimer’s Jennifer Lame
Production design – Poor Things’ Shona Heath, James Price and Zsuzsa Mihalek
Costume design – Poor Things’ Holly Waddington
Makeup and hair – Poor Things’ Nadia Stacey, Mark Coulier and Josh Weston
Sound – The Zone Of Interest’s Johnnie Burn and Tarn Willers
Special visual effects – Poor Things’ Tim Barter, Simon Hughes, Dean Koonjul and Jane Paton
British short animation – Crab Day’s Ross Stringer, Bartosz Stanislawek and Aleksandra Sykulak
Stone also thanked her British dialect coach for “not laughing” when she said water in an American accent.
Poor Things is based on a 1992 novel by Scottish artist and writer Alasdair Gray. It won five prizes in total, including costume design, make up and hair, production design and visual effects.
Da’Vine Joy Randolph won the supporting actress prize for her turn as a grieving cook in The Holdovers, about a teacher forced to stay at school over the holidays, and hailed her character who would “never (have) got a chance to wear and a beautiful gown” and it was a “responsibility I don’t take lightly”.
The Prince of Wales, who is president of Bafta attended the event – his first high-profile royal engagement since his wife’s operation.
At the prestigious film event last year, William was accompanied by the Princess of Wales, who did not attend this time as she continues her recovery.
The Bafta Film Awards was hosted by Scottish actor David Tennant and featured performances by Ellis-Bextor and Hannah Waddingham.
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