“All Quiet on the Western Front” dominated the BAFTA Awards in London on Sunday night with a record-breaking seven wins, including for Best Director, Best Film and Best Film Not in the English Language.
The tally means the World War One epic now holds the record for a film not in the English language. The previous record was held by 1988 film “Cinema Paradiso,” which won five BAFTAs.
Meanwhile Colin Farrell starrer “The Banshees Of Inisherin” won the second largest number of awards of the night, including both supporting actor categories with wins for Barry Keoghan and Kerry Condon (who emerged as the correct winner after fellow nominee Carey Mulligan’s name was initially called in error.) Writer and director Martin Mcdonagh also won for Original Screenplay and Outstanding British Film, although his swipe at the film’s producer Searchlight – when he quipped that he had landed an award for the script without any notes from the studio – prompted a mixed response from the audience, with some possibly perceiving the comment as arrogant. The director quickly made it clear he wasn’t being serious, saying “kidding, kidding.”
All Quiet on the Western Front
Courtesy of Reiner Bajo
Combined with Tom Berkeley and Ross White’s “An Irish Goodbye” winning Best Short it proved a celebratory night for Ireland’s film industry, with “Good Luck To You, Leo Grande” actor Daryl McCormack, who was nominated for both Best Actor and Rising Star, joking it was the “Irish BAFTAs” on the red carpet ahead of the ceremony.
The top acting awards of the night went to Cate Blanchett and Austin Butler for their respective turns in “Tár” and “Elvis.” It was otherwise a disappointing night for “Tár,” with writer and director Todd Field losing out in the Best Original Screenplay and Best Director categories. “Elvis” did marginally better, in addition to Butler’s win the film won in three craft categories : Best Hair and Make-Up, Best Casting and Best Costume. Costume designer Catherine Martin was unable to attend so her husband and “Elvis” director Baz Luhrmann accepted on her behalf.
Cate Blanchett, Austin Butler (Getty)
The ceremony, at the Royal Festival Hall in London, was hosted by “Loki” actor Richard E. Grant who arrived in a Batmobile wearing a floor-length white cape with a train. As he took to the stage, pretending to run late, he quipped: “What could be more British than a delayed train?”
He also joked – in reference to last year’s now infamous Oscars slap – “Nobody on my watch gets slapped tonight – except on the back.”
Other than the unfortunate Best Supporting Actress mix-up, the ceremony ran without a hitch, featuring performances from last year’s Best Supporting Actress winner Ariana DeBose and singer-songwriter Dylan. BAFTA Chair Krishnendu Majumdar opened the ceremony by paying tribute to Queen Elizabeth II, who died last September. Later in the ceremony, Helen Mirren – who played the monarch in “The Queen” – also delivered a two-minute tribute.
Queen Elizabeth II’s grandson Prince William and his wife the Princess of Wales were in the audience at the Royal Festival Hall on Sunday evening. The prince is president of BAFTA, an honorary role.
Also in the audience were nominees, presenters and guests including Michelle Yeoh, Eddie Redmayne, Jamie Lee Curtis, Ariana DeBose and Mccormack (pictured above, left to right).
Other attendees included Angel Bassett, Jessica Henwick, Patrick Stewart, Emma Thompson and fashion designer Vera Wang.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge at the BAFTA Film Awards 2023 (Getty)
Yeoh, Curtis, Bassett and Henwick were among the stars battling it out for an award, with Yeoh and Curtis nominated for their turns in “Everything Everywhere All At Once,” Bassett in the running for Best Supporting Actress for “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” and Henwick nominated for her short “Bus Girl.”
DeBose won last year for Best Supporting Actress for her role in “West Side Story” while Redmayne won a Best Actor gong in 2014 for “The Theory of Everything.”
Meanwhile, inside the auditorium, guests who’d initially shared reservations about the awards’ new venue of Royal Festival Hall in the Southbank had to admit that the tighter setting – a far cry from the atmospheric but cavernous nature of Royal Albert Hall, the stately home of the film awards in previous years – provided a far more intimate setting for the BAFTAs. The night felt lighter, edgier, and with a buzzy energy that’s been missing from the British awards for some time.
While Mirren’s tribute to the Queen fell somewhat flat, sandwhiched between two lighter segments, three separate musical performances from artists including DeBose across the three-plus-hour-long show helped to lighten the mood, while in-studio segments hosted by ITV presenter Alison Hammond also added some warmth to proceedings. Even Grant’s obvious nerves at the prospect of going live on the BBC for the first time in BAFTA history for the show’s final four categories was met with camaraderie from his audience, with one guest shouting out encouragement.
Overall, while there may have been some qualms about a new venue for the BAFTAs, the Academy and new producers Spun Gold succeeded in putting on a nimble, well-paced ceremony that proved how a little bit of change can do you good.
Check out the full list of 2023 BAFTA Film Award nominees and winners below…
ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
WINNER: “All Quiet On The Western Front” – Edward Berger, Lesley Paterson, Ian Stokell
“Living” – Kazuo Ishiguro
“The Quiet Girl” – Colm Bairéad
“She Said” – Rebecca Lenkiewicz
“The Whale” – Samuel D. Hunter
SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Angela Bassett – “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever”
Hong Chau – “The Whale”
WINNER: Kerry Condon – “The Banshees Of Inisherin”
Dolly De Leon – “Triangle Of Sadness”
Jamie Lee Curtis – “Everything Everywhere All At Once”
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”
FILM NOT IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE
WINNER: “All Quiet On The Western Front” – Edward Berger, Malte Grunert
“Argentina, 1985” – Santiago Mitre, Producer(s) Tbc
“Corsage” – Marie Kreutzer
“Decision To Leave” – Park Chan-wook, Ko Dae-seok
“The Quiet Girl” – Colm Bairéad, Cleona Ní Chrualaoí
CASTING
“Aftersun” – Lucy Pardee
“All Quiet On The Western Front” – Simone Bär
WINNER: “Elvis” – Nikki Barrett, Denise Chamian
“Everything Everywhere All At Once” – Sarah Halley Finn
“Triangle Of Sadness” – Pauline Hansson
EDITING
“All Quiet On The Western Front” – Sven Budelmann
“The Banshees Of Inisherin” – Mikkel E. G. Nielsen
“Elvis” – Jonathan Redmond, Matt Villa
WINNER: “Everything Everywhere All At Once” – Paul Rogers
“Top Gun: Maverick” – Eddie Hamilton
CINEMATOGRAPHY
WINNER: “All Quiet On The Western Front” – James Friend
“The Batman” – Greig Fraser
“Elvis” – Mandy Walker
“Empire Of Light” – Roger Deakins
“Top Gun: Maverick” – Claudio Miranda
OUTSTANDING DEBUT BY A BRITISH WRITER, DIRECTOR OR PRODUCER
WINNER: “Aftersun” – Charlotte Wells (Writer/director)
“Blue Jean” – Georgia Oakley (Writer/director), Hélène Sifre (Producer)
“Electric Malady” – Marie Lidén (Director)
“Good Luck To You, Leo Grande” – Katy Brand (Writer)
“Rebellion” – Maia Kenworthy and Elena Sánchez Bellot (Directors)
ANIMATED FILM
WINNER: “Guillermo Del Toro’s Pinocchio” – Guillermo Del Toro, Mark Gustafson, Gary Ungar, Alex Bulkley
“Marcel The Shell With Shoes On” – Dean Fleisher Camp, Andrew Goldman, Elisabeth Holm, Caroline Kaplan, Paul Mezey
“Puss In Boots: The Last Wish” – Joel Crawford, Mark Swift
“Turning Red” – Domee Shi, Lindsey Collins
ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
WINNER: “The Banshees Of Inisherin” – Martin Mcdonagh
“Everything Everywhere All At Once” – Daniel Kwan, Daniel Scheinert
“The Fabelmans” – Tony Kushner, Steven Spielberg
“Tár” – Todd Field
“Triangle Of Sadness” – Ruben Östlund
SPECIAL VISUAL EFFECTS
“All Quiet On The Western Front” – Markus Frank, Kamil Jafar, Viktor Müller, Frank Petzold
WINNER: “Avatar: The Way Of Water” – Richard Baneham, Daniel Barrett, Joe Letteri, Eric Saindon
“The Batman” – Russell Earl, Dan Lemmon, Anders Langlands, Dominic Tuohy
“Everything Everywhere All At Once” – Benjamin Brewer, Ethan Feldbau, Jonathan Kombrinck, Zak Stoltz
“Top Gun: Maverick” – Seth Hill, Scott R. Fisher, Bryan Litson, Ryan Tudhope
DOCUMENTARY
“All That Breathes” – Shaunak Sen, Teddy Leifer, Aman Mann
“All The Beauty And The Bloodshed” – Laura Poitras, Howard Gertler, Nan Goldin, Yoni Golijov, John Lyons
“Fire Of Love” – Sara Dosa, Shane Boris, Ina Fichman
“Moonage Daydream” – Brett Morgan
WINNER: “Navalny” – Daniel Roher, Diane Becker, Shane Boris, Melanie Miller, Odessa Rae
ORIGINAL SCORE
WINNER: “All Quiet On The Western Front” – Volker Bertelmann
“Babylon” – Justin Hurwitz
“The Banshees Of Inisherin” – Carter Burwell
“Everything Everywhere All At Once” – Son Lux
“Guillermo Del Toro’s Pinocchio” – Alexandre Desplat
SOUND
WINNER: “All Quiet On The Western Front” – Lars Ginzsel, Frank Kruse, Viktor Prášil, Markus Stemler
“Avatar: The Way Of Water” – Christopher Boyes, Michael Hedges, Julian Howarth, Gary Summers, Gwendoyln Yates Whittle
“Elvis” – Michael Keller, David Lee, Andy Nelson, Wayne Pashley
“Tár” – Deb Adair, Stephen Griffiths, Andy Shelley, Steve Single, Roland Winke
“Top Gun: Maverick’ – Chris Burdon, James H. Mather, Al Nelson, Mark Taylor, Mark Weingarten
COSTUME DESIGN
“All Quiet On The Western Front” – Lisy Christl
“Amsterdam” J.R. Hawbaker, Albert Wolsky
“Babylon” – Mary Zophres
WINNER: “Elvis” – Catherine Martin
“Mrs. Harris Goes To Paris” – Jenny Beavan
BRITISH SHORT FILM
“The Ballad Of Olive Morris” – Alex Kayode-kay
“Bazigaga” – Jo Ingabire Moys, Stephanie Charmail
“Bus Girl” – Jessica Henwick, Louise Palmkvist Hansen
“A Drifting Up” – Jacob Lee
WINNER: “An Irish Goodbye” – Tom Berkeley, Ross White
BRITISH SHORT ANIMATION
WINNER: “The Boy, The Mole, The Fox And The Horse” – Peter Baynton, Charlie Mackesy, Cara Speller, Hannah Minghella
“Middle Watch” – John Stevenson, Aiesha Penwarden, Giles Healy
“Your Mountain Is Waiting” – Hannah Jacobs, Zoe Muslim, Harriet Gillian
OUTSTANDING BRITISH FILM
“Aftersun” – Charlotte Wells, Producer(S) Tbc
WINNER: “The Banshees Of Inisherin” – Martin Mcdonagh, Graham Broadbent, Pete Czernin
“Brian And Charles” – Jim Archer, Rupert Majendie, David Earl, Chris Hayward
“Empire Of Light” – Sam Mendes, Pippa Harris
“Good Luck To You, Leo Grande” – Sophie Hyde, Debbie Gray, Adrian Politowski, Katy Brand
“Living” – Oliver Hermanus, Elizabeth Karlsen, Stephen Woolley, Kazuo Ishiguro
“Roald Dahl’s Matilda The Musical” – Matthew Warchus, Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Jon Finn, Luke Kelly, Dennis Kelly
“See How They Run” – Tom George, Gina Carter, Damian Jones, Mark Chappell
“The Swimmers” – Sally El Hosaini, Producer(S) Tbc, Jack Thorne
“The Wonder” – Sebastián Lelio, Ed Guiney, Juliette Howell, Andrew Lowe, Tessa Ross, Alice Birch, Emma Donoghue
PRODUCTION DESIGN
“All Quiet On The Western Front” – Christian M. Goldbeck, Ernestine Hipper
WINNER: “Babylon” – Florencia Martin, Anthony Carlino
“The Batman” – James Chinlund, Lee Sandales
“Elvis” – Catherine Martin, Karen Murphy, Bev Dunn
“Guillermo Del Toro’s Pinocchio” – Curt Enderle, Guy Davis
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
MAKE UP & HAIR
“All Quiet On The Western Front” – Heike Merker
“The Batman” – Naomi Donne, Mike Marino, Zoe Tahir
WINNER: “Elvis” – Jason Baird, Mark Coulier, Louise Coulston, Shane Thomas
“Roald Dahl’s Matilda The Musical” – Naomi Donne, Barrie Gower, Sharon Martin
“The Whale” – Anne Marie Bradley, Judy Chin, Adrien Morot
EE RISING STAR AWARD (Voted For By The Public)
Aimee Lou Wood
Daryl Mccormack
WINNER: Emma Mackey
Naomi Ackie
Sheila Atim
LEADING ACTOR
WINNER: Austin Butler – “Elvis”
Colin Farrell – “The Banshees Of Inisherin”
Brendan Fraser – “The Whale”
Daryl Mccormack – “Good Luck To You, Leo Grande”
Paul Mescal – “Aftersun”
Bill Nighy – “Living”
LEADING ACTRESS
WINNER: Cate Blanchett – “Tár”
Viola Davis – “The Woman King”
Danielle Deadwyler – “Till”
Ana De Armas – “Blonde”
Emma Thompson – “Good Luck To You, Leo Grande”
Michelle Yeoh – “Everything Everywhere All At Once”
BEST FILM
WINNER: “All Quiet On The Western Front” – Malte Grunert
“The Banshees Of Inisherin” – Graham Broadbent, Pete Czernin, Martin Mcdonagh
“Elvis” – Gail Berman, Baz Luhrmann, Catherine Martin, Patrick Mccormick, Schuyler Weiss
“Everything Everywhere All At Once” – Daniel Kwan, Daniel Scheinert, Jonathan Wang
“Tár” – Todd Field, Scott Lambert, Alexandra Milchan
From Variety US
