EE BAFTA FILM AWARDS - The winners and what they mean for the Oscar race.

The EE BAFTA Film Awards took place last Sunday (February 19) at the Royal Festival Hall, London, and it didn't bring that much clarity in terms of Oscar predictions. In fact, I must say I consider BAFTA went mostly for the "challengers", while it also carried All Quiet On the Western Front to the top seats of many categories. The German-speaking anti-war movie took home 7 trophies, including Best Film, Best Director and Best Film Not in English Language, besides Best Adapted Screenplay - is Netflix Best Picture Oscar closer than we expect?

BAFTA Awards are a reliable Oscar indicator, specially in terms of wins. The Brits clearly loved All Quiet On the Western Front - the movie is splendid, indeed - but is this win also a political message? A movie about the horrors of war, about the lives lost, about how pointless it can be! Could the AMPAS go the same way? The 1930's adaptation took home Best Picture and Best Director back in the time when the Nazi regime was triving in Germany and the shadows of WWI were still alive in people's minds - can 2022's All Quiet On the Western Front be the anti-war political (cinematic) statement in a time Western countries are involved in the Russia-Ukraine war? It sure deserves to be taken seriously for the Best Picture race, considering its inner power!

Another note: Elvis is gonna take a big couple of trophies on Oscar night, no matter how much film lovers actually didn't like it, because there are clearly plenty of people who simply loved it! Here, it took Best Actor (a major blow for Brendan Fraser and Colin Farrell's Oscar win campaigns) and it also took Best Casting, Best Costume Design and Best Makeup and Hairstyling! As for the current Oscar favorite Everything Everywhere All At Once, it is not a "BAFTA style" film, but it still managed to win Best Editing and I wouldn't overthink its "not win" in Best Picture and Best Director. BUT I do wonder if The Daniels might lose Best Original Screenplay to Martin McDonagh for The Banshees of Inisherin...! As for Kerry Condon's Best Supporting Actress win... I've been saying it for a while on Twitter, but I do believe she will win in the end. 

So, here is the winners list:

• BEST FILM

All Quiet on the Western Front - WINNER

The Banshees of Inisherin
Everything Everywhere All At Once
Elvis
TÁR

• OUTSTANDING BRITISH FILM

Aftersun

The Banshees of Inisherin - WINNER
Brian and Charles
Empire of Light
Good Luck to You, Leo Grande
Living
Roald Dahl’s Matilda the Musical
See How They Run
The Swimmers
The Wonder

• OUTSTANDING DEBUT BY A BRITISH WRITER, DIRECTOR OR PRODUCER

Aftersun Charlotte Wells (writer/director) - WINNER
Blue Jean, Georgia Oakley (writer/director) & Hélène Sifre (producer)

Electric Malady, Marie Lidén (director)
Good Luck to You, Leo Grande, Katy Brand (writer)
Rebellion,  Elena Sánchez Bellot (director) & Maia Kenworthy (director)

• BEST FILM NOT IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE

All Quiet on the Western Front - WINNER

Argentina, 1985
Corsage
Decision to Leave
The Quiet Girl

• BEST DOCUMENTARY

All That Breathes

All the Beauty and the Bloodshed
Fire of Love
Moonage Daydream
Navalny - WINNER

• BEST ANIMATED FILM

Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio - WINNER

Marcel the Shell with Shoes On
Puss in Boots: The Last Wish
Turning Red

• BEST DIRECTOR

Edward Berger, All Quiet on the Western Front - WINNER
Martin McDonagh, The Banshees of Inisherin
Park Chan-wook, Decision To Leave
Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, Everything Everywhere All At Once
Todd Field, TÁR
Gina Prince-Bythewood, The Woman King

• BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

Martin McDonagh, The Banshees of Inisherin - WINNER
Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, Everything Everywhere All At Once
Tony Kushner and Steven Spielberg, The Fabelmans
Todd Field, TÁR
Ruben Östlund, Triangle of Sadness

• BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

Edward Berger, Ian Stokell and Leslie Patterson, All Quiet on the Western Front - WINNER
Kazuo Ishiguro, Living
Colm Bairéad, The Quiet Girl
Rebecca Lenkiewicz, She Said
Samuel D. Hunter, The Whale

• BEST LEAD ACTRESS

Ana de Armas, Blonde

Cate Blanchett, TÁR - WINNER
Viola Davis, The Woman King
Danielle Deadwyler, Till
Emma Thompson, Good Luck to You, Leo Grande
Michelle Yeoh, Everything Everywhere All At Once

• BEST LEAD ACTOR

Austin Butler, Elvis - WINNER

Brendan Fraser, The Whale
Colin Farrell, The Banshees of Inisherin
Daryl McCormack, Good Luck to You, Leo Grande
Paul Mescal, Aftersun
Bill Nighy, Living

• BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Angela Bassett, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

Hong Chau, The Whale
Kerry Condon, The Banshees of Inisherin - WINNER
Jamie Lee Curtis, Everything Everywhere All At Once
Dolly De Leon, Triangle of Sadness
Carey Mulligan, She Said

• BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Brendan Gleeson, The Banshees of Inisherin

Barry Keoghan, The Banshees of Inisherin - WINNER
Ke Huy Quan, Everything Everywhere All At Once
Eddie Redmayne, The Good Nurse
Albrecht Schuch, All Quiet on the Western Front
Michael Ward, Empire of Light

• BEST ORIGINAL SCORE

Volker Bertelmann, All Quiet on the Western Front - WINNER
Justin Hurwitz, Babylon
Carter Burwell, The Banshees of Inisherin
Son Lux, Everything Everywhere All At Once
Alexandre Desplat, Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio

• BEST CASTING

Lucy Pardee, Aftersun

Simon Bär, All Quiet on the Western Front
Nikki Barrett, Denise Chamian, Elvis - WINNER
Sarah Halley Finn, Everything Everywhere All At Once
Pauline Hansson, Triangle of Sadness

• BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

James Friend, All Quiet on the Western Front - WINNER
Greig Fraser, The Batman
Mandy Walker, Elvis
Roger Deakins, Empire of Light
Claudio Miranda, Top Gun: Maverick

• BEST EDITING

Sven Budelmann, All Quiet on the Western Front

Mikkel E.G. Nielsen, The Banshees of Inisherin
Matt Villa, Elvis
Paul Rogers, Everything Everywhere All At Once - WINNER
Eddie Hamilton, Top Gun: Maverick

• BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN

Christian M. Goldbreck, Ernestine Hipper, All Quiet on the Western Front
Florencia Martin, Anthony Carlino, Babylon - WINNER
James Chinlund, Lee Sandales, The Batman
Catherine Martin, Karen Murphy, Bev Dunn, Elvis
Curt Enderle, Guy Davis, Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio

• BEST COSTUME DESIGN

Lisy Christl, All Quiet on the Western Front
J.R. Hawbaker and Albert Wolsky, Amsterdam
Mary Zophres, Babylon
Catherine Martin, Elvis - WINNER
Jenny Beavan, Mrs Harris Goes To Paris

• BEST MAKEUP AND HAIR

Heike Merker, All Quiet on the Western Front
Michael Marino and Zoe Tahir, The Batman
Shane Thomas, Louise Coulston, Mark Coulier and Barrie Gower, Elvis - WINNER
Naomi Donne, Barrie Gower, Sharon Martin, Roald Dahl’s Matilda The Musical
Anne Marie Bradley, Judy Chin, Adrien Morot, The Whale

• BEST SOUND

Lars Ginzsel, Frank Kruse, Viktor Prášil and Markus Stemler, All Quiet on the Western Front - WINNER
Christopher Boyes, Michael Hedges, Julian Howarth, Gary Summers and Gwendoyln Yates Whittle, Avatar: The Way of Water
Michael Keller, David Lee, Andy Nelson and Wayne Pashley, Elvis
Deb Adair, Stephen Griffiths, Andy Shelley, Steve Single and Roland Winke, TÁR
Chris Burdon, James H. Mather, Al Nelson, Mark Taylor and Mark Weingarten, Top Gun: Maverick

• BEST SPECIAL VISUAL EFFECTS

Markus Frank, Kamil Jafar, Viktor Müller and Frank Petzoid, All Quiet on the Western Front
Richard Baneham, Daniel Barrett, Joe Letteri and Eric Saindon, Avatar: The Way of Water - WINNER
Russell Earl, Dan Lemmon, Anders Langlands and Dominic Tuohy, The Batman
Benjamin Brewer, Ethan Feldbau, Jonathan Kombrinck and Zak Stoltz, Everything Everywhere All At Once
Seth Hill, Scott R. Fisher, Bryan Litson and Ryan Tudhope, Top Gun: Maverick

• BEST BRITISH SHORT ANIMATION

The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse - WINNER
Middle Watch
Your Mountain is Waiting

• BEST BRITISH SHORT FILM

The Ballad Of Olive Morris

Bazigaga
Bus Girl
A Drifting Up
An Irish Goodbye - WINNER

• EE Rising Star

Aimee Lou Wood

Daryl McCormack
Emma Mackey - WINNER
Naomi Ackie
Sheila Atim