London: Director Chloe Zhao’s film “Nomadland” topped the 74th British Academy Film and Television Arts (BAFTA), winning four major awards, including Best Film. The film’s main cast, Frances McDormand, won the Best Actress title, while the Best Director was awarded by Zhao. The film was also a winner in the cinematography category.
Zhao, the first woman to win the title of Best Director at BAFTA, dedicated the award to the nomadic community who generously gave her team a chance to understand their lives. The director said in a speech on the occasion, “He shared with us his deep understanding of his dreams, struggles and respect. Thank you for showing that growing old is a beautiful part of life, a journey that we all should enjoy. How we treat our elders shows how we are as a society and what we need to do better. “
After the awards received by the film at BAFTA, the possibility of being a top contender has also increased at the Oscar awards ceremony to be held later this month. McDormand could not join the program via online medium but thanked BAFTA in a written message. He said, “Dear Britons, thank you. I accept this honor on behalf of the team of ‘Nomadland’. We salute you. “
He received the Best Veteran Actor Award for “The Father”, starring Anthony Hopkins. It was in this category that India’s ideal pride was nominated for his role in “The White Tiger”. ‘The Father’ was also given a BAFTA for the adapted screenplay. In the Supporting Actress category, the award went to South Korean veteran Yuh Jung Yeon for playing the role of a nanny in “Minari” while Daniel Kaluya received the Best Supporting Actor Award for his role in “Judas and the Black Messiah”.
Emerald Fennell’s “Me Too” drama “Promising Young Women” was declared the best British film at the ceremony. Fennell, who played Camilla Parker Bowles in Netflix’s hit film “The Crown”, also received the award in the script category. The award for the first best film by a British writer, director or producer went to Remy Weeks’s “His House”. Thomas Winterberg’s “Another Round” won the English-language Best Film Award. At the same time, “My Octopus Teacher” won the BAFTA Award in the documentary category. Bafta beat Doctor Dana Murray’s “Soul” for the animated film. The film received second prize in the ‘Original Score Category’. “Sound of Metal”, starring Riz Ahmed, won two awards in the editing and sound category.
