A Student’s Guide to BAFTAs 2018.
It was a winning night for Three Billboards, Brits and the Times Up movement at last night’s British Film and Television Awards. Here’s the highlights.
Celebrations for British actor Daniel Kaluuya.
Daniel Kaluuya, star of 2017 thriller Get Out and Marvel’s latest superhero flick Black Panther, won the EE Rising Star award — the only award that is voted by the British public.
Up against Florence Pugh (Lady Macbeth), Josh O’Connor (God’s Own Country, Florence Foster Jenkins), Tessa Thompson (Thor: Ragnarok, Creed), Timothée Chalamet (Call Me By Your Name, Ladybird), Kaluuya won the heart of the UK public and it’s easy to see why with his meaningful speech:
Thank you. Tessa, Tim, Josh, and Florence… I feel so privileged to be in your guys’ company. Facts. I am a product of arts funding within the United Kingdom, and I’d like to thank people who financially support that. I’d like to thank my mum. You’re the reason why I started, you’re the reason why I’m here, and you’re the reason why I keep going. Do you understand? Thank you for everything. This award… This is yours. Yours.
Kaluuya also showed his hilarious side, by revealing the well-known countdown to hurry him off the stage: “There’s a countdown. I wasn’t supposed to say that but I’ve said that now. We break all the rules. No — levels.”
Three Billboards shines.
If you’re following award season, then you’ll already know about Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri Martin McDonagh’s drama about a grieving mother who hires three billboards to address local police for their role in finding her daughter’s murderers. Following a similar pattern to previous award shows like the Golden Globes, Frances McDormand won Best Leading Actress and Sam Rockwell won Best Supporting Actor, indicating that these two have got it in the bag for the Oscars in a couple of weeks. Three Billboards also won Best Film, Outstanding British Film and Best Original Screenplay.
Hello Joanna!
This year welcome new host Joanna Lumley, taking over from Stephen Fry who has hosted the BAFTAs for over ten years. Lumley aced it, with a joke mocking the Oscar mistake last year after someone left the envelope on the stand making the audience laugh. She also hilariously explained why she and actress Rebecca Ferguson were wearing the same dress, obviously because they were ‘twinning’. Many people admired Joanna Lumley’s first time hosting.
Hollywood continue to unite for #TimesUp.
Almost everyone was kitted out in black for the ceremony to show support for the #TimesUp and #MeToo movement. Both movements aim to help victims of sexual harassment and assault in not only the media industry but across the globe, in light of the recent allegations within the film industry. Despite Frances McDormand admitting that she is not good at compliance pointing to her colourful dress, she declared during her acceptance speech that she stands in “full solidarity with [her] sisters.”
Joanna Lumley compared the anniversary of women’s right to vote and Time’s Up:
A century ago, the suffragettes laid the groundwork for this dogged resistance and powerful protest that is carried forward today with the Time’s Up movement and with it the determination to eradicate inequality and the abuse of women the world over.
Some stars brought with them guests who have campaigned or made a difference for equality in the past. Actress Gemma Arterton, who starred in the West End version of Made in Dagenham, which depicts the real life events of the 1968 Ford Factory strike for equal pay, brought with her two women from the strike. Gwen Davis and Eileen Pullen were two of the women who orchestrated the strike, which led to the equal pay act 1970.
Del Toro praises Gothic author Mary Shelley.
Wining Best Director for monster romance The Shape of Water, Guillermo Del Toro gave an incredible speech citing Mary Shelley (author of Frankenstein) as his inspiration.
But the most important figure from English legacy, for me, is a teenager called Mary Shelley. She has remained as important in my life as family… she picked up the plight of Caliban, and gave weight to the burden of Prometheus, and she gave voice to the voiceless and presence to the invisible and showed me that sometimes when we talk about monsters we must fabricate monsters of our own.
It was a deeply artistic speech, continuing to praise inspirational women from history. Del Toro also won Best Director at the Golden Globes earlier this year, suggesting that The Shape of Water could give him his Academy Award win in a few weeks time.
Lastly, Paddington 2 was snubbed.
Britain’s favourite bear missed out on an award after being nominated for three: Best British Film, Best Actor in a Supporting Role for Hugh Grant and Best Adapted Screenplay. People were, as expected, heartbroken, especially due to many people believing the funny, warm and lovely Paddington 2 to be the epitome of British.
Due to release schedules, Paddington 2 was released too late in the US to be considered for this year’s Academy Awards, so fingers crossed it does better at the Oscars in 2019 and receives the accolade it deserves.
Not only has this year’s BAFTAs celebrated women, the film industry and a year of incredible films, it gives us a good indication as to how the Oscars will play out on 4th March. It looks guaranteed that Three Billboards will pick up a few along with it’s cast Frances McDormand and Sam Rockwell. But now that Daniel Kaluuya’s won his Rising Star award, could Jordan Peele’s thriller Get Out be in with a chance to win some Oscars?
