Joe Alvarez, Photography by Joe Alvarez, Tamara A Orlova" />
Some of the world’s most famous and celebrated stars descended on London once again for the UK’s ‘Oscars’ A.K.A. the BAFTAs awards. The Royal Albert Hall’s Red carpet welcomed A-Lister celebrities and rising stars from around the world including actor-turned-director Angelina Jolie, film director Andrey Zvyagintsev, Christopher Nolan, Frances McDormand, Margot Robbie, Saoirse Ronan, Daniel Day-Lewis, Gary Oldman, Kristin Scott Thomas, Hugh Grant, Willem Dafoe, Ridley Scott, Andrea Riseborough, Anya Taylor Joy, Bryan Cranston, Edward Holcroft, Gemma Arterton, Gemma Chan, Jennifer Lawrence, Lupita Nyong’o, Naomie Harris, Natalie Dormer, Orlando Bloom, Patrick Stewart, Rachel Weisz, Rebecca Ferguson, Salma Hayek, Sergei Polunin, Sam Rockwell, Taron Egerton, Toby Jones, Will PoultierMillie Mackintosh,Celia Imrie, Martin McDonagh, Simon Farnaby among others.
Just before the arrivals a performance by Cirque Du Soleil ‘opened’ the red carpet.
The host of the Awards Ceremony Joanna Lumley looked stunning and radiant in a grey dress-cloak. The twice BAFTA winner for her role in Absolutely Fabulous sitcom admitted she was thrilled: “It’s just so unbelievably thrilling. Who thought I’d turn into Stephen Fry?”
Fry hosted the awards from 2001-2006 and 2010-2017. Explaining his decision to step aside, the actor and writer said: “After so long a time I felt it only right to stand down.”
The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) is a world-leading independent arts’ charity that ‘brings the very best work in film, games and television to public attention and supports the growth of creative talent in the UK and internationally’.
Through its Awards ceremonies and year-round programme of learning events and initiatives BAFTA ‘identifies and celebrates excellence, discovers, inspires and nurtures new talent, and enables learning and creative collaboration’. We couldn’t help but notice however, that the BAFTAs is giving in more and more to pointless, dull and facile political games.
The BAFTA awards were very political and used by ‘celebrities’ to draw more attention to themselves and their empty causes. Andrea Riseborough spoke at length about the Time’s Up pseudo campaign on the red carpet before the arrival of A-Listers. Regarding the ‘#MeToo’ and #TimesUp shambles; ladies don’t wait 20+ years to report someone touching your leg or something more serious because you thought it would hurt your career. Staying silent until you ‘make it’ or taking payment for that silence makes you a first class hypocrite.
English actor Gemma Arterton came to the red carpet with her own ‘support group’ and spoke about equal pay which has now been totally disproven very many times and has a variety of complex reasons behind it, including ‘women’s lifestyle choices.’
Imagine new actors getting paid what Ms Arterton -or Tom Cruise- gets paid right from the start with no experience. Yep, she’d complain, -Tom wouldn’t shoot- and costs would multiply for everything. Imagine, the caterers wanting Ms Arterton’s pay, as they ‘contribute’ equally to the film set. Set builders demanding what leading actors get paid for the same reason. That’s how women tennis players now get paid more than men despite playing far fewer sets and a slower game. The whole argument is an exercise of imbecility and neo-communism brought to us by cerebrally challenged ‘feminists.’ They do not want equality, they seem to want preferential treatment.
Afua Hirsch teamed up with Naomie Harris and spoke about some obscure anti-British movement in Ghana -if anyone cared- and about retouching of photos in fashion magazines. Thus seemingly spreading herself thin among faux ‘diversity’ messages. Viewers were left baffled and bored by such mindless claptrap. We want to celebrate the best in film at FILM awards!
Like many other red carpet ceremonies lately, BAFTAs were also made political by ‘Time is Up’ activists. The event’s memo encouraged all women to wear black dress on the red carpet. Generally a bad idea as black dress hardly looks spectacular.
So this year we saw a long train of black dresses accompanied by ‘Time is Up’ pin badges.
The 71-year-old host of the evening Joanna Lumley decided to skip on recent political movements at the ceremony and donned sheer grey dress-cloak. She explained that she already had her outfit planned before the announcement, which makes total sense. The attire for awards and ceremonies can be decided months in advance, especially if it is a couture.
Majority of women opted for black frocks for this year’s BAFTAs as well as Golden Globes earlier this year to express solidarity with victims of sexual harassment and assault. Catherine Duchess of Cambridge however, skipped on the optional LBD for which she was criticised by some activists under the disguise of journalists. But why didn’t Kate Middleton wear black?
The answer is simple: the British royal family has a duty to remain neutral on all political issues. Just like journalists.
Instead, we heard one ’snowflake’ journo in particular challenging – and judging – everyone who ‘didn’t comply’. At the winners’ press area, for example, the Best Director winner Guillermo del Toro was questioned on his reasons for not wearing the pin badge. Not only this so-called journalist wasted precious time during a 1-minute-long press conference, she used it to pursue activism instead of focusing on her duties of impartial reporting and the reason for the event – great filmmaking.
At the EE British Academy Film Awards 2018 Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri was named Best Film and Outstanding British Film, with Martin McDonagh winning Original Screenplay, Sam Rockwell taking Supporting Actor, and Frances McDormand receiving the BAFTA for Leading Actress.
Gary Oldman won Leading Actor for Darkest Hour; the film also won the award for Make Up & Hair.
The Shape of Water won three awards: Guillermo del Toro won for Director and composer Alexandre Desplat collected the Original Music award, his third BAFTA win; the film also won Production Design.
Supporting Actress went to Allison Janney for her role as Tonya Harding’s mother in I, Tonya.
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Roger Deakins won his fourth BAFTA for Cinematography for Blade Runner 2049, which also won for Special Visual Effects.
Raoul Peck won the Documentary award for I Am Not Your Negro. Film Not in the English Language was won by South Korean drama The Handmaiden and Coco took the BAFTA for Animated Film.
Writer/director Rungano Nyoni and producer Emily Morgan received the award for Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer for I Am Not a Witch.
Baby Driver received the BAFTA for Editing and Phantom Thread won for Costume Design. James Ivory won for Adapted Screenplay for Call Me by Your Name and Dunkirk for Sound. Cowboy Dave won the British Short Film award.
The Special Award for Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema was presented to the National Film and Television School (NFTS). The school has trained generations of BAFTA-nominated film talent; this year’s British Short Animation award was won by Poles Apart, which is the 13th NFTS graduation film to win a BAFTA.
The Fellowship, the highest honour the Academy can bestow was presented to director and producer Sir Ridley Scott by HRH The Duke of Cambridge, President of BAFTA, and Sir Kenneth Branagh.
The EE Rising Star Award voted for by the public went to Daniel Kaluuya.
Most of the winners made their way to the winners’ room where they posed for more photos and sipped Taittinger Champagne who was the sponsor of the event.
Another reason to love BAFTAs. Taittinger Champagne sponsoring celebratory drinks at BAFTAs 2018 Winners’ Room.
SIR RIDLEY SCOTT
NATIONAL FILM AND TELEVISION SCHOOL
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