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Last year, the BAFTAs backlash was impossible to ignore. At the time, the British Academy Film Awards had released, yet again, a nominees list made up almost entirely of white artists and creatives. Not one single person of colour was nominated in the main acting categories last year, with the leading actor, actress, supporting actor and supporting actress shortlist—20 names in total—all white. Meanwhile, women were shut out of the best director shortlist, despite, as one person put it on Twitter, “Greta Gerwig being right there” for her film Little Women.
Just a few months later, the resurgence of the Black Lives Matter movement highlighted just how far Hollywood — and every industry — has to go in being completely inclusive.
This year, the BAFTAs finally listened: 16 of the 24 acting nominees, released in March, came from ethnic minority groups and four women were nominated in the best director category. But, on Sunday 11th April, all eyes were on the socially-distanced ceremony to see how the awards matched up to the nominations. Talk is cheap but would they walk the walk?
Thankfully, we saw some refreshing recognitions. Nomadland’s Chloe Zhao won Best Director, Daniel Kaluuya won Best Supporting Actor for his role in Judas and the Black Messiah, Bukky Bakray, the teenage breakout star of Rocks, won the EE Rising Star award, and Youn Yuh-jung won Best Supporting actress for her role in Minari—simultaneously winning best speech of the night where she called the British “snobby”.
The winner of outstanding British film went to Promising Young Woman with director Emerald Fennell receiving her second win of the night, after already taking home best original screenplay. There’s now no doubt the Oscars are in sight for the first-time feature-length filmmaker, who also won best socially-distanced backdrop of the night, grand piano and all:
Below, the 2021 BAFTA winners—giving us one more glimpse at who’s in the running for the Oscars come April 26th.
Best film
The Father
The Mauritanian
Nomadland – WINNER
Promising Young Woman
The Trial of the Chicago 7
Best actress
Bukky Bakray, Rocks
Radha Blank, The Forty-Year-Old Version
Vanessa Kirby, Pieces of a Woman
Frances McDormand, Nomadland – WINNER
Wunmi Mosaku, His House
Alfre Woodard, Clemency
Best actor
Riz Ahmed, Sound of Metal
Chadwick Boseman, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
Adarsh Gourav, The White Tiger
Anthony Hopkins, The Father – WINNER
Mads Mikkelsen, Another Round
Tahar Rahim, The Mauritanian
Best director
Thomas Vinterberg, Another Round
Shannon Murphy, Babyteeth
Lee Isaac Chung, Minari
Chloé Zhao, Nomadland – WINNER
Jasmila Žbanić, Quo Vadis, Aida?
Sarah Gavron, Rocks
Bafta fellowship
Ang Lee
EE Rising Star award (voted for by the public)
Bukky Bakray – WINNER
Kingsley Ben-Adir
Morfydd Clark
Ṣọpẹ Dìrísù
Conrad Khan
Outstanding British film
Calm With Horses
The Dig
The Father
His House
Limbo
The Mauritanian
Mogul Mowgli
Promising Young Woman – WINNER
Rocks
Saint Maud
Best original score
Mank
Minari
News of the World
Promising Young Woman
Soul – WINNER
Best documentary
Collective
David Attenborough: A Life on Our Planet
The Dissident
My Octopus Teacher – WINNER
The Social Dilemma
Outstanding debut by a British writer, director or producer
His House – Remi Weekes (writer/director) – WINNER
Limbo – Ben Sharrock (writer/director), Irune Gurtubai (producer) [also produced by Angus Lamont]
Moffie – Jack Sidey (writer/producer) [also written by Oliver Hermanus and produced by Eric Abraham]
Rocks – Theresa Ikoko, Claire Wilson (writers)
Saint Maud – Rose Glass (writer/director), Oliver Kassman (producer) [also produced by Andrea Cornwell]
Best supporting actor
Daniel Kaluuya, Judas and the Black Messiah – WINNER
Barry Keoghan, Calm With Horses
Alan Kim, Minari
Leslie Odom Jr, One Night in Miami
Clarke Peters, Da 5 Bloods
Paul Raci, Sound of Metal
Best original screenplay
Tobias Lindholm, Thomas Vinterberg, Another Round
Jack Fincher, Mank
Emerald Fennell, Promising Young Woman – WINNER
Theresa Ikoko, Claire Wilson, Rocks
Aaron Sorkin, The Trial of the Chicago 7
Best supporting actress
Niamh Algar, Calm With Horses
Kosar Ali, Rocks
Maria Bakalova, Borat Subsequent Moviefilm
Dominique Fishback, Judas and the Black Messiah
Ashley Madekwe, County Lines
Youn Yuh-jung, Minari – WINNER
Best cinematography
Judas and the Black Messiah
Mank
The Mauritanian
News of the World
Nomadland – WINNER
Best film not in the English language
Another Round – WINNER
Dear Comrades!
Les Misérables
Minari
Quo Vadis, Aida?
Best editing
The Father
Nomadland
Promising Young Woman
Sound of Metal – WINNER
The Trial of the Chicago 7
Best adapted screenplay
Moira Buffini, The Dig
Christopher Hampton, Florian Zeller, The Father – WINNER
Rory Haines, Sohrab Noshirvani, MB Traven, The Mauritanian
Chloé Zhao, Nomadland
Ramin Bahrani, The White Tiger
Best animated film
Onward
Soul – WINNER
Wolfwalkers
Best casting
Calm With Horses
Judas and the Black Messiah
Minari
Promising Young Woman
Rocks – WINNER
Best production design
The Dig
The Father
Mank – WINNER
News of the World
Rebecca
Best costume design
Ammonite
The Dig
Emma
Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom – WINNER
Mank
Best makeup and hair
The Dig
Hillbilly Elegy
Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom – WINNER
Mank
Pinocchio
Best sound
Greyhound
News of the World
Nomadland
Soul
Sound of Metal – WINNER
Best special visual effects
Greyhound
The Midnight Sky
Mulan
The One and Only Ivan
Tenet – WINNER
Best British short animation
The Fire Next Time
The Owl and the Pussycat – WINNER
The Song of a Lost Boy
Best British short film
Eyelash
Lizard
Lucky Break
Miss Curvy
The Present – WINNER
Outstanding British contribution to cinema
Noel Clarke
