At the 2025 Bafta Film Awards, Conclave and The Brutalist dominated the night, each walking away with four major awards.
Conclave, directed by German filmmaker Edward Berger, claimed Best Film and Best British Film, marking the first time a movie had won both titles in the same year since 1917 in 2019. The film also took home awards for Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Editing.
Meanwhile, The Brutalist, directed by Brady Corbet, triumphed with Best Director for Corbet, Best Actor for Adrien Brody, and Best Original Score and Cinematography.
Brody was recognized for his portrayal of Hungarian architect and Holocaust survivor László Tóth.
Other notable winners included Mikey Madison, who took home Best Actress for her role in Anora, a film about a New York stripper who embarks on a whirlwind romance with the son of a Russian oligarch.
Madison’s win was a surprise, and during her acceptance speech, she honored the sex worker community, saying, “I see you, you deserve respect and human decency. I will always be an ally and a friend.”
The Substance, starring Demi Moore, had garnered attention in recent months with wins at the Golden Globes and Critics Choice Awards, but it only claimed one Bafta this year:
Best Make-Up and Hair for its body horror elements. Despite this, The Substance remains a contender for Best Make-Up at the Oscars.
Conclave, which explores a group of scheming cardinals as they gather in Rome to elect a new Pope, had led the nominations with 12 mentions.
Berger expressed his gratitude upon receiving the Best Film award, admitting that winning Best British Film was a “huge, huge honor.”
He also quoted Leonard Cohen during his speech, reflecting on the global crisis of democracy: “There’s a crack in everything, that’s how the light gets in.”
In the acting categories, Anora’s Mikey Madison received Best Actress, while A Real Pain’s Kieran Culkin claimed Best Supporting Actor.
Zoe Saldaña won Best Supporting Actress for her role in Emilia Pérez, a French film that also won Best International Film despite controversy surrounding its lead, Karla Sofía Gascón, and offensive social media posts from the actress.
The ceremony, hosted by David Tennant at London’s Royal Festival Hall, also saw several films share the spoils.
This year marked the third consecutive Bafta ceremony without any British actors winning in the major categories.
Films like A Complete Unknown, Nosferatu, Gladiator II, and The Apprentice all had multiple nominations but went home empty-handed.
The Brutalist’s Brody, collecting his Best Actor award, described the film as “really about the pursuit of leaving something meaningful.”
Corbet, the director, expressed his gratitude and humility in accepting his Best Director award.
The Bafta Fellowship, the highest honor bestowed by the British Academy, was awarded to actor and TV presenter Warwick Davis. He acknowledged his late wife Sammy and his mother, his “first agent,” in his moving speech.
The In Memoriam segment of the ceremony paid tribute to those from the film community who had passed away in the past year, including Dame Maggie Smith, James Earl Jones, and Donald Sutherland.
Other notable wins included Dune Part 2 for Special Effects and Sound, Wicked for Best Production Design and Costume Design, and Aardman’s Wallace and Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl for Best Animation and Best Children and Family Film.
Kneecap, an Irish rap group, won the award for Best Debut by a British Writer, Director, or Producer for their film Kneecap: The Movie.
The documentary Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story also took home the Best Documentary prize, with Reeve’s children accepting the award in his honor.
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