The second and final night of the 2021 British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) Awards was dominated by Chloe Zhao’s ‘Nomadland’. The Frances McDormand-led road movie picked up four prizes, including the one for best film.
The Searchlight-produced movie also won for lead actress, cinematography and director, putting it well ahead of all other films. Accepting the Best Director award, Zhao commented the honour would “make my teacher at Brighton College very proud.”
The 2021 event also marked a historic turning point for the BAFTAs. They were the first edition to take place since the organisation’s ground-breaking diversity review, which was carried out following last year’s #BAFTAsSoWhite scandal.
A brief tribute was paid to the Late Prince Philip, BAFTA’s first president, before delving straight into the prizes. The second night of the ceremony, which was the longer of the two, had several musical performances and also saw Ang Lee presented with the BAFTA Fellowship award, the British Academy’s highest honour.
The leading actor award was surprisingly given to Anthony Hopkins for his performance in Florian Zeller’s ‘The Father’, which also landed the statuette for best-adapted screenplay. Emerald Fennell’s ‘Promising Young Woman’ claimed outstanding British film and original screenplay, and Pixar’s ‘Soul’ won for animation and original score.
Daniel Kaluuya won Best Supporting Actor for ‘Judas and the Black Messiah’ while Yuh-Jung Youn won best-supporting actress for ‘Minari’. In possibly the night’s most comical moment, Youn joked that the award was especially meaningful to her as Brits were “snobbish”.
‘Nomadland’ and ‘Rocks’ were tied, having claimed seven nominations each, with ‘The Father’, ‘Mank’, ‘Minari’ and ‘Promising Young Woman’ just behind with six.
Best Film
The Father
The Mauritanian
Nomadland – WINNER
Promising Young Woman
The Trial of the Chicago 7
Outstanding British Film
Calm with Horses
The Dig
The Father
His House
Limbo
The Mauritanian
Mogul Mowgli
Promising Young Woman
Rocks
Saint Maud
Director
Thomas Vinterberg for Another Round
Shannon Murphy for Babyteeth
Lee Isaac Chung for Minari
Chloe Zhao for Nomadland – WINNER
Jasmila Zbanic for Quo Vadis, Aida?
Sarah Gavron for Rocks
Leading Actress
Bukky Bukray for Rocks
Radha Blank for The Forty-Year-Old Version
Vanessa Kirby for Pieces of a Woman
Frances McDormand for Nomadland – WINNER
Wunmi Mosaku for His House
Alfre Woodard for Clemency
Leading Actress
Riz Ahmed for Sound of Metal
Chadwick Boseman for Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
Adarsh Gourav for The White Tiger
Anthony Hopkins for The Father – WINNER
Mads Mikkelsen for Another Round
Tahar Rahim for The Mauritanian
Supporting Actress
Niamh Algar for Calm with Horses
Kosar Ali for Rocks
Maria Bakalova for Borat Subsequent Moviefilm
Dominique Fishback for Judas and the Black Messiah
Ashley Madekwe for County Lines
Yuh-Jung Youn for Minari – WINNER
Supporting Actor
Daniel Kaluuya for Judas and the Black Messiah – WINNER
Barry Keoghan for Calm with Horses
Alan Kim for Minari
Leslie Odom Jr. for One Night in Miami
Clarke Peters for Da 5 Bloods
Paul Raci for Sound of Metal
Original Screenplay
Tobias Lindholm and Thomas Vinterberg for Another Round
Jack Fincher for Mank
Emerald Fennell for Promising Young Woman – WINNER
Theresa Ikoko and Claire Wilson for Rocks
Aaron Sorkin for The Trial of the Chicago 7
Adapted Screenplay
Moira Buffini for The Dig
Christopher Hampton and Florian Zeller for The Father – WINNER
Rory Haines, Sohrab Noshirvani and M.B. Traven for The Mauritanian
Chloe Zhao for Nomadland
Ramin Bharani for The White Tiger
Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer
Remi Weekes for His House – WINNER
Ben Sharrock and Irune Gurtubai for Limbo
Jack Sidey for Moffie
Theresa Ikoko and Claire Wilson for Rocks
Rose Glass and Oliver Kassman for Saint Maud
Film Not in the English Language
Another Round – WINNER
Dear Comrades!
Les Miserables
Minari
Quo Vadis, Aida?
Documentary
Collective
David Attenborough: A Life on our Planet
The Dissident
My Octopus Teacher – WINNER
The Social Dilemma
Animated Film
Onward
Soul – WINNER
Wolfwalkers
Original Score
Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross for Soul
Emile Mosseri for Minari
James Newton Howard for News of the World
Anthony Willis for Promising Young Woman
Jon Batiste, Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross for Soul
