LONDON — Ben Affleck’s “Argo” was the big winner at the 65th BAFTA British Academy Film Awards on Sunday at London’s Royal Opera House taking home three trophies including best film.
Affleck was named best helmer for the film, which also took home the editing prize for William Goldenberg.
“This is a second act for me and you have given me that, this industry has given me that,” said Affleck. “I’m so grateful and proud, and I dedicate this to anyone else out there trying to get their second act.”
Asked about his third nom as best actor Affleck joked “the Vegas odds of me winning over Daniel Day-Lewis were something like 400,000 to one!”
Despite going into the ceremony with 10 noms, the most of any film, Day-Lewis’ win for best actor was the only nod for Steven Spielberg’s “Lincoln.”
The British actor poked fun at his reputation for losing himself in his roles, saying that in case he someday found himself accepting such as award “I’ve stayed in character as myself for the last 55 years.”
British film “Les Miserables” nabbed the most trophies with four, including supporting actress for Anne Hathaway as well as technical honors for make-up and hair, sound, and production design. Hathaway reserved “very special thanks” for French novelist Victor Hugo “without whom none of us would be here.”
Helmer Bart Layton and producer Dimitri Doganis won the Carl Foreman Award for outstanding debut by a British scripter, helmer or producer for docu “The Imposter.” However the film missed out on the best docu award, which went to “Searching for Sugar Man.”
James Bond hit “Skyfall” was honored with the Alexander Korda Award for outstanding British film while composer Thomas Newman, won for original music.
“This is a first for the Bond films,” said producer Michael G. Wilson. Helmer Sam Mendes dedicated the award to the 1,292 people that worked on the film.
Michael Haneke’s Palme d’Or winner “Amour,” was named best film not in the English language. The film’s lead actress, Emmanuelle Riva, won for her role over 50 years after her first BAFTA nomination in 1961, as best foreign actress for Alain Resnais’ 1959 film “Hiroshima, Mon Amour.”
David O. Russell accepted the award for best adapted screenplay for “Silver Linings Playbook” and honored all the scripters in the room. “It’s been a wonderful year for film and a wonderful year for writers,” said Russell.
Accepting the BAFTA for original screenplay Quentin Tarantino praised Harvey Weinstein and Amy Pascal for supporting his “Django Unchained” which he described as a “hot-potato script.”
An emotional Christoph Waltz praised “silver-penned devil” Tarantino as he accepted supporting actor honors for the film. “Why I get to stand here is no mystery, it says so at the beginning of the movie: written and directed by Quentin Tarantino. It all starts and ends with Quentin,” said Waltz.
Ang Lee’s “Life of Pi” was honored for cinematography and VFX.
The publicly voted EE Rising Star Award went to “Killer Joe” and “The Dark Knight Rises” actress Juno Temple, beating Elizabeth Olsen, Andrea Riseborough, Suraj Sharma and Alicia Vikander. The British actress thanked the public who voted for her “especially my little brother Felix, who I think got his entire school to vote for me.”
Pixar’s Scotland-set “Brave” was named best animated film, winning over stop-motion animations “Frankenweenie” and “ParaNorman.”
As previously announced, filmmaker and five-time BAFTA winner Alan Parker was feted with the BAFTA Fellowship and Tessa Ross, controller of film and drama at U.K. broadcaster Channel 4, was honoured for outstanding contribution to British cinema.
Parker told the assembled press after the ceremony that he hoped to return behind the camera again. “I never really stopped making movies. It’s just that the last four or five screenplays I’ve worked on haven’t got made.” Parker’s last film was 2003’s “The Life of David Gale.”
And the winners are
Best Film
“Argo,” Ben Affleck, George Clooney, Grant Heslov
Director
Ben Affleck, “Argo”
Leading Actor
Daniel Day-Lewis, “Lincoln”
Leading Actress
Emmanuelle Riva, “Amour”
Supporting Actor
Christoph Waltz, “Django Unchained”
Supporting Actress
Anne Hathaway, “Les Miserables”
Outstanding British Film
“Skyfall,” Sam Mendes, Michael G. Wilson, Barbara Broccoli, Neal Purvis, Robert Wade, John Logan
Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer
Bart Layton (Director), Dimitri Doganis (Producer), “The Imposter”
Documentary
“Searching for Sugar Man,” Malik Bendjelloul, Simon Chinn
Original Screenplay
“Django Unchained,” Quentin Tarantino
Adapted Screenplay
“Silver Linings Playbook,” David O. Russell
Film Not in the English Language
“Amour,” Michael Haneke, Margaret Menegoz
Animated Film
“Brave,” Mark Andrews, Brenda Chapman
Original Music
“Skyfall,” Thomas Newman
Cinematography
“Life of Pi,” Claudio Miranda
Editing
“Argo,” William Goldenberg
Production Design
“Les Miserables,” Eve Stewart, Anna Lynch-Robinson
Costume Design
“Anna Karenina,” Jacqueline Durran
Sound
“Les Miserables,” Simon Hayes, Andy Nelson, Mark Paterson, Jonathan Allen, Lee Walpole, John Warhurst
Makeup & Hair
“Les Miserables,” Lisa Westcott
Special Visual Effects
“Life of Pi,” Bill Westenhofer, Guillaume Rocheron, Erik-Jan De Boer, Donald R. Elliott
Short Animation
“The Making of Longbird,” Will Anderson, Ainslie Henderson
Short Film
“Swimmer,” Lynne Ramsay, Peter Carlton, Diarmid Scrimshaw
EE Rising Star (Audience Award)
Juno Temple
Academy Fellowship
Alan Parker
Outstanding Contribution to British Cinema
Tessa Ross
