Boyhood and The Grand Budapest Hotel drew maximum cheers at the British Academy of Film and Television Arts
Slow-cooked coming-of-age tale Boyhood took the best film and director trophies at the British Academy Film Awards, while Wes Anderson’s candy-coloured comedy The Grand Budapest Hotel won the biggest haul of prizes, with five.
Both are unusual works by distinctive directors, and there were also multiple trophies for the Stephen Hawking biopic The Theory of Everything and the jazz-drumming drama Whiplash at an event that proved small, personal films could emerge as winners.
Awards-season high-flyerBirdman had its wings clipped, taking only a cinematography prize from 10 nominations. And World War II code-breaking drama The Imitation Game won nothing despite nine nominations.
Richard linklater, who spent 12 years making Boyhood, was named best director and Patricia Arquette won the supporting-actress trophy as a struggling mother in the film.
Arquette said linklater had set out to show “how extraordinary an ordinary life is.” Boyhood star Ellar Coltrane, who grew from 6 to 18 onscreen, thanked British voters for rewarding “an exercise of collaboration and vulnerability.” The Theory of Everything was named best British film and won an adapted-screenplay award for Anthony McCarten. Eddie Redmayne, already an awards-season favourite, won the best-actor prize for his performance as physicist Hawking, who probed the cosmos while his body was wracked by motor neuron disease.
Redmayne said the evening went much better than his last BAFTA appearance, which he spent vomiting backstage with food poisoning when he was supposed to be presenting an award.
“It was one of the worst nights of my life,” Redmayne said. “This is one of the best nights of my life.” Julianne Moore was named best actress for portraying a professor with Alzheimer’s in Still Alice. Anderson won the original screenplay trophy for The Grand Budapest Hotel, which also took prizes for production design, costumes, hair and makeup and Alexandre Desplat’s score.
Damien Chazelle’s jazz-drumming drama Whiplash took prizes for sound and editing. The supporting-actor trophy went to JK Simmons, a stalwart character actor who is finally receiving major awards recognition.
The lego Movie was named best animated feature, a prize the filmmakers said, helped ease the pain of its Oscars snub. “You are our favorite academy by far,” said co-director Phil lord. British actor Jack O’Connell, star of 71 and Unbroken, won the Rising Star award, the only trophy decided by public vote. The others are chosen by several thousand members of the British film academy.
The Oscar-nominated Polish filmIda won the award for Film Not In The English language. The awards ceremony is British cinema’s glitziest event and an important stop for Hollywood awards hopefuls. Steve Carell, Michael Keaton, Amy Adams and Reese Witherspoon were among the American actors who walked the red carpet before the ceremony at london’s Royal Opera House.
British stars included Kristin Scott Thomas and Rosamund Pike, soccer great David Beckham — and Hawking, who received a huge ovation when he appeared onstage to present the visual effects award to Interstellar.
British talent has been especially well represented in Hollywood this year, led by multiple award nominations for The Theory of Everything and The Imitation Game.Benedict Cumberbatch said the omission of Selma was the “one bitter note” of the event.“I wish David Oyelowo was here with us as well,” he said.