News Desk (MNN); The dark comedy One Battle After Another emerged as the big winner at Britain’s top movie awards on Sunday, taking home six BAFTA Awards, including Best Film and Best Director for Paul Thomas Anderson.
The film surpassed home favorite Hamnet and vampire thriller Sinners, which has a record number of Oscar nominations, in the major categories. Guests of honour at the ceremony included Prince William and Princess Kate.
Anderson, who also won Best Adapted Screenplay, cited a line from Nina Simone in the film: “I know what freedom is, it’s no fear.” He added, “So let’s keep making things without fear, it’s a good idea.”
Sean Penn won Best Supporting Actor for his performance, while One Battle After Another also secured Best Cinematography and Best Editing.
Sinners, despite 16 Oscar nominations, won Best Original Screenplay for Ryan Coogler, Best Supporting Actress for Wunmi Mosaku, and Best Original Score.
The biggest surprise was Robert Aramayo winning Best Actor for his portrayal of Tourette syndrome campaigner John Davidson in I Swear, beating Timothée Chalamet, Leonardo DiCaprio, Michael B. Jordan, Ethan Hawke, and Jesse Plemons. Aramayo accepted the award in tears, calling it “absolutely unbelievable.”
Jessie Buckley won Best Actress for her role as Agnes, the wife of William Shakespeare, in Hamnet, directed by previous Oscar winner Chloe Zhao. The film also won Outstanding British Film but missed out on the major awards.
The ceremony, hosted by Alan Cumming, marked the first joint engagement for William and Kate since the arrest of William’s uncle Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor. William, president of the Film Academy, presented the BAFTA Fellowship to Donna Langley.
