A German remake of All Quiet on the Western Front has dominated this year’s BAFTA awards breaking the record for most awards won by a film not in English at the ceremony.
The anti-war epic is based on the 1928 novel of the same name by author Erich Maria Remarque. The first film adaptation was released in English in 1930. Looking at the horrors of the First World from the perspective of a young German soldier, the Netflix drama had led nominations, winning 14 BAFTA nods.
It took seven of those 14 gongs, including best film, best adapted screenplay and best director for Edward Berger, among others.
Berger told the audience at the London-based event that he and his fellow filmmakers, “grew up with a responsibility to tell the story” and paid tribute to soldiers fighting in the Ukraine conflict.
The BAFTAs are the UK’s highest awards for film and are often seen as an indicator as to who will win at Hollywood’s Academy Awards. They’ll take place in Los Angeles on 13 March.
Irish tragicomedy The Banshees of Inisherin was also a big winner, taking outstanding British film, original screenplay and best supporting actor and actress for Barry Keoghan and Kerry Condon respectively.
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There was an awkward moment when Carey Mulligan was incorrectly announced as the winner of Condon’s award.
Oscar winning deaf actor Troy Kotsur was tasked with presenting the category in sign language, but due to a miscommunication, Mulligan’s name was called in error. She has been nominated for ‘me too’ picture She Said but seemed to laugh off the gaffe.
Also taking home a decent number of awards was the Elvis Presley biopic, aptly titled Elvis. It won for costume design and makeup and hair and its star Austin Butler secured the best actor prize. He thanked the Presley family in his acceptance speech, saying he hoped he had made them proud. The tribute came a month after the death of Elvis's daughter, Lisa Marie Presley who passed away at the age of 54.
Cate Blanchett was named best actress for her performance in Tár where she plays a renowned orchestra conductor accused of sexual abuse. In her acceptance speech, she called the role, "very dangerous and career-ending potentially".
Sci-fi romp Everything Everywhere All At Once was one of the night’s biggest losers. It had secured 10 nominations but ended up taking only one prize home, for editing. The film has 11 Oscar nominations and the disappointing BAFTA result could mean it won’t sweep the board as expected at the Hollywood ceremony on 13 March.
Navalny, which focuses on jailed Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny, won the documentary category. Filmmakers dedicated the award to Navalny - who last year was given 9 years in prison for apparent large-scale fraud and contempt by a Russian court - and his family, as well Bulgarian investigative journalist Christo Grozev.
He was put on a wanted list by Russia in December and claimed British police had banned him from attending the BAFTAs for security reasons. London’s metropolitan police force refuted this, saying only event organisers could decide on who could appear.
There was excitement from other angles too, namely the appearance of Prince William and his wife Catherine, Princess of Wales. It was their first trip to the BAFTAs since the death of William’s grandmother Queen Elizabeth II last September. He’s now first in line to the British throne.
Catherine impressed fashion critics by re-wearing an Alexander McQueen gown that she originally donned for the 2019 BAFTAs. She styled the gown differently this time, adding long black gloves to the elegant white gown and sported a pair of earrings from high street favourite Zara.
The BAFTAs paid tribute to the late Queen, with actress Helen Mirren, who won a BAFTA and an Oscar for her portrayal of Elizabeth in 2006 film The Queen, saying British film would not have been the same without her input over her 70 year reign. Mirren moved some of the audience to tears in her speech, saying, “Your Majesty, you were our nation's leading star”.
Full list of winners and nominees
Best film
* WINNER: All Quiet on the Western Front
* The Banshees of Inisherin
* Elvis
* Everything Everywhere All At Once
* Tár
Outstanding British film
* Aftersun
* WINNER: The Banshees of Inisherin
* Brian And Charles
* Empire of Light
* Good Luck to You, Leo Grande
* Living
* Roald Dahl's Matilda The Musical
* See How They Run
* The Swimmers
* The Wonder
Leading actress
* WINNER: Cate Blanchett, Tár
* Viola Davis, The Woman King
* Danielle Deadwyler, Till
* Ana De Armas, Blonde
* Emma Thompson in Good Luck to You, Leo Grande
* Michelle Yeoh in Everything Everywhere All At Once
Leading actor
* WINNER: Austin Butler, Elvis
* Brendan Fraser, The Whale
* Colin Farrell, The Banshees of Inisherin
* Daryl McCormack, Good Luck to You, Leo Grande
* Paul Mescal, Aftersun
* Bill Nighy, Living
Supporting actress
* Angela Bassett, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
* Hong Chau, The Whale
* WINNER: Kerry Condon, The Banshees of Inisherin
* Jamie Lee Curtis, Everything Everywhere All At Once
* Dolly De Leon, Triangle of Sadness
* Carey Mulligan, She Said
Supporting actor
* Brendan Gleeson, The Banshees of Inisherin
* WINNER: Barry Keoghan, The Banshees of Inisherin
* Ke Huy Quan, Everything Everywhere All At Once
* Eddie Redmayne, The Good Nurse
* Albrecht Schuch, All Quiet on the Western Front
* Micheal Ward, Empire of Light
Director
* WINNER: All Quiet on the Western Front, Edward Berger
* The Banshees of Inisherin, Martin McDonagh
* Decision To Leave, Park Chan-wook
* Everything Everywhere All At Once, Daniel Kwan/Daniel Scheinert
* Tár, Todd Field
* The Woman King, Gina Prince-Bythewood
Outstanding debut by a British writer, director or producer
* WINNER: Aftersun
* Blue Jean
* Electric Malady
* Good Luck to You, Leo Grande
* Rebellion
Film not in the English language
* WINNER: All Quiet on the Western Front
* Argentina, 1985
* Corsage
* Decision To Leave
* The Quiet Girl
Documentary
* All That Breathes
* All the Beauty and the Bloodshed
* Fire of Love
* Moonage Daydream
* WINNER: Navalny
Animated film
* Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio
* Marcel the Shell with Shoes On
* Puss in Boots: The Last Wish
* Turning Red
Original screenplay
* WINNER: The Banshees of Inisherin
* Everything Everywhere All At Once
* The Fabelmans
* Tár
* Triangle of Sadness
Adapted screenplay
* WINNER: All Quiet on the Western Front
* Living
* The Quiet Girl
* She Said
* The Whale
Original score
* WINNER: All Quiet on the Western Front
* Babylon
* The Banshees of Inisherin
* Everything Everywhere All At Once
* Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio
Casting
* Aftersun
* All Quiet on the Western Front
* WINNER: Elvis
* Everything Everywhere All At Once
* Triangle of Sadness
Cinematography
* WINNER: All Quiet on the Western Front
* The Batman
* Elvis
* Empire of Light
* Top Gun: Maverick
Costume design
* All Quiet on the Western Front
* Amsterdam
* Babylon
* WINNER: Elvis
* Mrs. Harris Goes To Paris
Editing
* All Quiet on the Western Front
* The Banshees of Inisherin
* Elvis
* WINNER: Everything Everywhere All At Once
* Top Gun: Maverick
Production design
* All Quiet on the Western Front
* WINNER: Babylon
* The Batman
* Elvis
* Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio
EE Bafta rising star award (voted for by the public)
* Aimee Lou Wood
* Daryl McCormack
* WINNER: Emma Mackey
* Naomi Ackie
* Sheila Atim
Make-up and hair
* All Quiet on the Western Front
* The Batman
* WINNER: Elvis
* Roald Dahl's Matilda The Musical
* The Whale
Sound
* WINNER: All Quiet on the Western Front
* Avatar: The Way of Water
* Elvis
* Tár
* Top Gun: Maverick
Special visual effects
* All Quiet on the Western Front
* WINNER: Avatar: The Way of Water
* The Batman
* Everything Everywhere All At Once
* Top Gun: Maverick
British short film
* The Ballad Of Olive Morris
* Bazigaga
* Bus Girl
* A Drifting Up
* WINNER: An Irish Goodbye
British short animation
* WINNER: The Boy, the Mole, the Fox, and the Horse
* Middle Watch
* Your Mountain is Waiting