The 79th BAFTA Film Awards, held on Sunday night, saw 'One Battle After Another' dominate with six prizes, including Best Film and Best Director for Paul Thomas Anderson. The ceremony, hosted by Alan Cumming, featured early wins for Sean Penn (Supporting Actor) and Wunmi Mosaku (Supporting Actress for 'Sinners'). 'Frankenstein' led in craft categories, winning production design, make-up and hair, and costume design.
The biggest shock of the night came when Robert Aramayo won Best Actor for his role in the indie biopic 'I Swear', beating favourites Timothée Chalamet and Leonardo DiCaprio. Aramayo, who also received the EE Rising Star Award, portrays Tourette Syndrome campaigner John Davidson. Host Cumming twice addressed the audience to ask for understanding regarding strong language from Davidson's tics, which were present during the ceremony.
Ryan Coogler's 'Sinners' made history with three wins, becoming the most-decorated film from a Black director. The film won Original Screenplay, Supporting Actress for Wunmi Mosaku, and Original Score for Ludwig Göransson. Coogler became the first Black winner in the original screenplay category, and used his speech to encourage writers to be motivated by love.
Other notable winners included Jessie Buckley, who won Best Actress for her role in 'Hamnet', which also won Outstanding British Film. 'Sentimental Value' became the first Norwegian film to win a BAFTA, taking the prize for Film Not in the English Language, while 'My Father's Shadow' won Outstanding British Debut. 'Marty Supreme', despite 11 nominations, was completely shut out, tying the record for most BAFTA losses.
