BAFTAs 2015: The News and the Winners

Hollywood stars hit the red carpet at London’s Royal Opera House for the BAFTA awards on Sunday evening and the big winners of the night included, Best Actor and Actress winners Eddie Redmayne, Julianne Moore and the coming-of-age drama BOYHOOD, which walked away with the BAFTA for best film.

Homegrown nominees Benedict Cumberbatch, Eddie Redmayne, and Keira Knightley were present at the ceremony with fellow nominees US stars Michael Keaton and Reese Witherspoon, which was hosted by Stephen Fry, at the biggest awards event in the British film calendar.

Surreal comedy THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL led the pack with 11 nominations, whilst showbiz satire BIRDMAN and Stephen Hawking biopic THE THEORY OF EVERYTHING were each nominated in 10 categories. THE IMITATION GAME, about war-time efforts to crack the German Enigma codes, had nine nominations; while coming-of-age epic BOYHOOD and jazz drumming drama WHIPLASH were each nominated five times.

Redmayne, who plays physicist Hawking was the bookies’ favourite to take the Best Actor award and the Brit did walk away with the gong seeing off tough competition from BIRDMAN lead Keaton, as well as his rival and friend Cumberbatch in THE IMITATION GAME. Redmayne has now snatched the Best Actor award at the BAFTAs, Screen Actor’s Guild Awards and the Golden Globes – will he also win an Oscar to make it a clean sweep?

Redmayne said it was “one of the best nights of my life“.

In the Best Actress category, Julianne Moore won the prize for her performance as a linguistics professor with early-onset Alzheimer’s.

Coming of age drama BOYHOOD – shot over 12 years with the same cast – was named Best Film, with Richard Linklater picking up Best Director prize. 

Patricia Arquette also won the Best Supporting Actress Bafta for her role in the film.

Wes Anderson’s THE GRAND BUDPEST HOTEL won the most awards on the night – a total of five including Costume Design, Production Design, Make-up and Original Music; with Anderson winning his first Bafta for Original Screenplay.

Jazz drumming drama WHIPLASH also performed well, walking away with three awards – for Editing, Sound and Supporting Actor for JK Simmons. 

The surprising outcome of the night was for World War Two drama THE IMITATION GAME, with Benedict Cumberbatch as codebreaker Alan Turing, which won nothing despite its nine nominations.

The Baftas take place exactly two weeks before the Academy Awards in Hollywood and can often be an indicator of who will go on to win an Oscar.

The last six winners of the Bafta for best film have gone on to win the best picture Oscar. Last year’s winner, 12 YEARS A SLAVE, won two Baftas and three Oscars – who knows what will happen at the next big ceremony? 

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