Conclave took the top prize at this year’s BAFTA Film Awards, earning Best Film and Outstanding British Film.
Based on Robert Harris’s 2016 novel, which was of the same name and centred on the election of a new pope, the film also won Best Adapted Script and Best Editing.
Director Edward Berger thanked his ensemble cast as he won the award, saying, “What you did to me on set when I watched you was pure magic, it was beyond my grasp or understanding.”
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It is not the German filmmaker’s first BAFTA success; two years ago, he won seven awards for his version of All Quiet On The Western Front. Conclave is his first English-language picture.
Despite being the most nominated movie of the night, Conclave did not take any acting prizes, with its star Ralph Fiennes losing out to The Brutalist lead Adrien Brody in the hotly contested best actor category.
Brody’s portrayal of Hungarian architect Lazlo Toth saw the 51-year-old actor bag his first BAFTA statuette.
New York-born Brody said the gong was “incredibly meaningful”, adding: “England has felt quite a bit like home lately.”
The three-and-a-half-hour-long epic, which is largely set in America following World War II, also took best director, best original score and best cinematography.
Accepting his director award, Brady Corbet, told the audience that despite being “humbled” and “grateful” for his win, there really was “no such thing” as best director.
Conclave and The Brutalist were joint winners across the night, taking four gongs each.
Anora, about a Brooklyn sex worker who marries into money, had its breakout actor, Mikey Madison, win the top prize, despite predictions that Demi Moore would win.
Accepting her award, the 25-year-old actress used her time on stage to thank the sex worker community, whom she said had helped her tremendously in her preparation for the part, saying, “I see you. You are entitled to respect and human decency. “I will always be your friend and ally.”
Anora also won the casting prize.
Emilia Perez, which has come under fire in recent weeks for resurfacing tweets from its lead star Karla Sofia Gascon, won Best Film Not in English. Gascon did not attend the event.
Zoe Saldaña won Best Supporting Actress for her remarkable performance in the musical, which included acting, singing, and dancing. She described her achievement as “validating” and “a true honour.”
As she accepted her prize the 46-year-old star said: “I was told not to cry by my children, so I’m going to try. This is so validating because the very few times I tried to go for roles with a British accent I was told this isn’t going to happen.”
She ended her emotional speech by saying: “Films are supposed to change hearts and challenge minds and I hope Emilia Perez did something like this because voices need to be heard, just not my English accent.”
Saldana, who won in the same category at the Golden Globes last month, will be looking to repeat her success with an Oscar in March.
Emilia Perez, an early front-runner in awards season, had already received criticism from members of the trans community for what some saw as a backward step in representation, as well as those who objected to stereotypical depictions of Mexicans and its handling of the sensitive topic of narcotics crime, which has claimed hundreds of thousands of lives.
Despite having 11 nominations going into the night, it only received two.
Kieran Culkin, 42, won best supporting actor for his work in the comedy A Real Pain, with his co-star and the film’s writer Jesse Eisenberg accepting the award on his behalf due to a member of Culkin’s family being ill, so he stayed in New York to be by their side.
The film, which follows two cousins exploring their family history in Poland, also won best original screenplay.
Body horror The Substance received a well-deserved award for best makeup and hair, despite Moore missing out on best actress.
Scottish actor David Tennant returned to emcee for the second year in a row, opening the show with The Proclaimers’ I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles) before asking members of the starry crowd to participate.
With 42 awards to dole out from a slew of well-known presenters, the first prize of the night went to Dune: Part Two, which utilized extraordinary visual effects. It also won Best Sound.
Additionally, Wallace and Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl won Best Children’s and Family Film as well as Best Animated Feature.
When accepting his second medal, Aardman director Nick Park remarked, “I didn’t actually write a second speech.”
Kneecap, a Republican Irish-language band, delivered on their promise on the red carpet, while Rich Peppiatt, the film’s director, had an impressive debut.
While the Wizard Of Oz prequel was nominated for seven Oscars, BAFTA voters didn’t seem to be feeling the Wicked charm, awarding it only two: best production design and best costume design.
A Complete Unknown was nominated for six awards but did not win any.
Despite the lack of gongs, the film’s actor Timothée Chalamet generated a lot of talk on the night, thanks to the fact that he was joined to the ceremony by his girlfriend Kylie Jenner, a member of the well-known Kardashian dynasty.
British performer Warwick Davis, well known for the fantasy film Willow and the Harry Potter films, received the prestigious BAFTA film fellowship for both his acting and advocacy activities.
The evening’s In Memoriam portion was headed by Wicked star Jeff Goldblum, who played As Time Goes By on the piano while late icons such as Dame Maggie Smith, David Lynch, and Dame Joan Plowright were honoured.
MediCinema received the Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema award, and Alien Romulus actor David Jonsson got the night’s lone publicly chosen award, the Rising Star, which recognizes emerging talent.
And in a balloon-filled performance, Take That’s current lineup of Gary Barlow, Howard Donald, and Mark Owen sang their 2008 single Greatest Day, a song that has been given new life thanks to its appearance in Anora.
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