The Artist was showered with awards by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts last night in an elegant occasion at the Royal Opera House, London, hosted by Stephen Fry. Director Michel Hazanavicius won for Best Film, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, Music, Cinematography and Costume Design, while Jean Dujardin's extraordinary silent performance was judged Best Actor. Meryl Streep won Best Actress for her Maggie Thatcher - quipping that as half her ancestry is from Lincolnshire, she had every right to have been cast in the role.
The much-nominated Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy came in only with Best British Film and Adapted Screenplay, and We Need To Talk About Kevin and My Week With Marilyn were both left without a golden mask. The Help, deprived of Best Actress, took the Best Supporting Actress for Octavia Spencer. Senna won Best Documentary and Martin Scorsese, denied multiple awards for Hugo and his George Harrison documentary, was given the BAFTA Fellowship for a lifetime of distinctive film-making.
There were several poignant moments, first when Cuba Gooding Jr, presenting an early award, paid tribute to Whitney Houston, and still more so when Peter Straughan, holding the Best Adapted Screenplay BAFTA for Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, credited his co-writer and wife, Bridget O'Connor, who died before the film started shooting.
The Awards
- Best Film: The Artist (other nominees: The Descendants, Drive, The Help, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy)
- Outstanding British Film: Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (other nominees: My Week With Marilyn, Senna, Shame, We Need To Talk About Kevin)
- Best Director: Michel Hazanavicius for The Artist (other nominees: Nicolas Winding Refn for Drive, Martin Scorsese for Hugo, Tomas Alfredson for Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Lynne Ramsay for We Need To Talk About Kevin)
- Best Leading Actor: Jean Dujardin in The Artist (other nominees: Brad Pitt in Moneyball, Gary Oldman in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, George Clooney in The Descendants, Michael Fassbender in Shame)
- Best Leading Actress: Meryl Streep in The Iron Lady (other nominees: Bérénice Bejo in The Artist, Michelle Williams in My Week With Marilyn, Tilda Swinton in We Need To Talk About Kevin, Viola Davis in The Help)
- Best Supporting Actor: Christopher Plummer in Beginners (other nominees: Jim Broadbent in The Iron Lady, Jonah Hill in Moneyball, Kenneth Branagh in My Week With Marilyn, Philip Seymour Hoffman in The Ides of March)
- Best Supporting Actress: Octavia Spencer in The Help (other nominees: Carey Mulligan in Drive, Jessica Chastain in The Help, Judi Dench in My Week With Marilyn, Melissa McCarthy in Bridesmaids)
- Best Original Screenplay: Michel Hazanavicius for The Artist (other nominees: Bridesmaids, The Guard, The Iron Lady, Midnight in Paris)
- Best Adapted Screenplay: Peter Straughan and Bridget O'Connor for Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (other nominees: The Descendants, The Help, The Ides of March, Moneyball)
- Outstanding British Debut by a Director, Producer or Writer: Paddy Considine, director, and Diarmid Scrimshaw, producer, for Tyrannosaur (other nominees: Attack the Block, Black Pond, Coriolanus, Submarine)
- Best Foreign Language Film: Pedro Almodóvar's The Skin I Live In (other nominees: Incendies, Pina, Potiche, A Separation)
- Best Documentary: Senna (other nominees: George Harrison - Living in the Material World, Project Nim)
- Best Animated Film: Rango (other nominees: The Adventures of Tintin - The Secret of the Unicorn, Arthur Christmas)
- Rising Star Award (voted by the public): Adam Deacon (other nominees: Chris Hemsworth, Chris O’Dowd, Eddie Redmayne, Tom Hiddleston)
- Best Original Music: The Artist (The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, Hugo, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, War Horse)
- Best Cinematography: The Artist (The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, Hugo, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy,
War Horse) - Best Editing: Senna (The Artist, Drive, Hugo, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy)
- Best Production Design: Hugo (The Artist, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy)
- Best Costume Design: The Artist (Hugo, Jane Eyre, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy)
- Best Make-up and Hair: The Iron Lady (The Artist, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, Hugo, My Week With Marilyn)
- Best Sound: Hugo (The Artist, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, War Horse)
- Best Special Visual Effects: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (The Adventures of Tintin - The Secret of the Unicorn, Hugo, Rise of The Planet of the Apes, War Horse)
- Best Short Animation: A Morning Stroll (Abuelas, Bobby Yeah)
- Best Short Film: Pitch Black Heist (Chalk, Mwansa the Great, Only Sound Remains, Two and Two)