THE 68th edition of The British Film Academy Awards kicked off on Sunday night, presented by Stephen Fry at the Royal Opera Hall, London.
Richard Linklater picked up the prestigious Gong for Best Film for his coming of age epic, Boyhood. A moving, groundbreaking film about-growing-up, Boyhood was shot with the same actors over consecutive Sundays, filmed over 12 years.
Flying the flag for Welsh cinema was Pride, one of the surprise hits of last year. Having already snagged three gongs at the British Independent Film Awards, including Best British Independent Film, the film has also received a Golden Globe nomination. Stephen Beresford and David Livingstone won the Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer.
The big winners in this year’s event were the team involved with Anthony McCartens screenplay adaption of The Theory Of Everything. McCarthens scooped Best Adapted Screenplay, Best British Film and Eddie Redmayne who played Stephen Hawking won the Best Actor in a Leading Role.
Best Actress in a Leading Role went to Julianne Moore for her outstanding performance in Still Alice, where she plays a linguistics professor who forgets words as she battles against Alzheimer’s disease.
Jack O’Connell finished 2014 in fine fettle after powerful performances in 71’, Unbroken and 300: Rise of an Empire. He took home the Rising Star Award which was presented by the inaugural winner, James McAvoy.
The other big winner on the night was Wes Anderson’s The Grand Budapest Hotel which took home the majority of the craft categories. He won the Best Original Screenplay, with the Film’s score writer Alexandre Desplat also winning the award for the Best Film Music. Mark Coulier, who has previously worked on Harry Potter and X-Men picked up Best Make Up and Hair award, along with his counterpart Frances Hannon. Milena Canonero, won the Best Costume Design with the outrageous bell boy outfits of Gustave H played by the excellent Ralph Fiennes. Anna Pinnock and Adam Stockhausen picked up Best Production Design for the movie’s elegant dream-scapes and highly saturated colour palette that make the film an aesthetic pleasure to behold.
Birdman, which was released last year to much fanfare amongst the film critics and the public alike took home only one award for Best Cinematography, won by Emmanuel Lubezki. The Lego movie –fast obtaining a cult following received the biggest round of applause – took home the Best Animated Film.
Damien Chazelle’s Whiplash, a story about a Drummers relentless pursuit to musical recognition also featured highly on the winners list, scooping Best Sound for the trio of Craig Mann, Benn Wilkins and Thomas Curley. Tom Cross also scooped Best Editing for the same film.
