Conclave, the gripping thriller about papal selection, led the nominations with 12 nods and secured the prestigious Best Film award, along with Outstanding British Film, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Editing. Director Edward Berger, accepting the award for Outstanding British Film, highlighted the film’s relevance in today’s political climate: “We live in a time of crisis where institutions that should unite us often divide us. This film was made to remind us why we tell stories.”
Meanwhile, The Brutalist, a sprawling three-and-a-half-hour drama about a Hungarian immigrant architect rebuilding his life in post-World War II America, was also a frontrunner for Best Film. Though it missed out on the top honor, director Brady Corbet won Best Director, and lead actor Adrien Brody was awarded Best Actor. The film also claimed prizes for Best Original Score and Best Cinematography. In his speech, Brody reflected on the film’s themes, saying, “This story is about the pursuit of leaving something meaningful behind—something I think we can all relate to.”
One of the night’s biggest surprises came in the Best Actress category, where Mikey Madison won for her role in Anora, in which she plays an exotic dancer who becomes entangled with the son of a Russian oligarch. Many had expected the award to go to Demi Moore for her performance in the body horror film The Substance, or Marianne Jean-Baptiste for her powerful role in Hard Truths. Overwhelmed, Madison took the stage and dedicated her win to sex workers, stating, “You deserve respect and human decency. I will always be your friend.”
Anora had been a strong contender throughout the awards season, with director Sean Baker previously winning top honors at the Critics Choice Awards and both the Producers and Directors Guild of America Awards. The film was also nominated for Best Film, alongside the Bob Dylan biopic A Complete Unknown.
Another major win came for Emilia Perez, a genre-blending musical-crime film that claimed the award for Best Film Not in the English Language. Accepting the award, director Jacques Audiard jokingly remarked, “This is too nice, you shouldn’t have done that,” before dedicating the honor to the entire cast and crew. He also acknowledged the absence of lead actress Karla Sofia Gascón, who had been nominated for Best Actress but was at the center of controversy over past social media posts.
Zoe Saldana won Best Supporting Actress for her role in Emilia Perez, playing a lawyer who assists a Mexican cartel leader, portrayed by Gascón, in faking his death and transitioning from male to female. The film had been a strong awards season contender but lost momentum following backlash surrounding Gascón, who later apologized and withdrew from public campaigning to avoid overshadowing the film ahead of the Oscars.
In the Supporting Actor category, Kieran Culkin took home the prize for his performance in the dramedy A Real Pain, which also won Best Original Screenplay for writer-director Jesse Eisenberg.
With unexpected wins and strong competition, the BAFTAs delivered a night of celebration, surprises, and cinematic excellence, setting the stage for what could be a competitive race at the upcoming Academy Awards.
