Alfonso Cuarón is now comfortably on course for big Oscars success later this month after his acclaimed film Roma won Best Film at last night’s BAFTAs. Cuarón also scooped Best Director, beating Yorgos Lanthimos, Spike Lee, Bradley Cooper and Paweł Pawlikowski. In Best Film, it defeated BlacKkKlansman, The Favourite, Green Book and A Star Is Born.
In his acceptance speech, Cuaron acknowledged Netflix for the “faith and courage to get behind a black-and-white film about a domestic worker, subtitled from Spanish, and bring it to audiences around the world.
“To see a film about an indigenous domestic worker embraced this way in an age when fear and anger propose to divide us means the world to me.
“Reverting back to a world of separation and isolation is not a solution to anything.
“It is simply an excuse to hide our fear within our basest instincts.”
The Favourite had a stellar evening in other fields.
One of the best-received wins in the room was for that film’s production designers Fiona Crombie and Alice Felton, who were lauded for their acceptance speech – which praised “every woman and working mother who keeps it together and makes it happen”.
Olivia Colman and Rachel Weisz won in the acting categories – for Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress respectively.
Bohemian Rhapsody nabbed two prizes: Rami Malek was honoured for Best Actor for his portrayal of Freddie Mercury, and the biopic also won Best Sound.
Mahershala Ali scooped Supporting Actor for Green Book, and Original Music went to A Star Is Born.
Roma had also taken home Best Film Not In The English Language and Best Cinematography.
Elsewhere, Letitia Wright won the public-voted EE Rising Star prize, following acclaimed work in Black Panther and Avengers: Infinity War.
Joanna Lumley hosted proceedings for the second time, after taking over from Stephen Fry.
