14/02/2005 - Mike Leigh and his lead actress in Vera Drake, Imelda Staunton were the most warmly applauded at the Baftas ceremony in London when both came to the stage to receive the Baftas masks for Best director and Best actress

Mike Leigh and his lead actress in Vera Drake [+see also:
trailer
film profile], Imelda Staunton were the most warmly applauded last Saturday 12 February at the Baftas ceremony in London when both came to the stage to receive the Baftas masks for Best director and Best actress.
“Given the other nominees (Martin Scorsese for The Aviator, Michael Mann for Collateral, Michel Gondry for Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Marc Forster for Finding Neverland), it is a very special and extraordinary honor”, said Leigh. “I’m overwhelmed and deeply grateful to the Baftas. I also want to thank Alain Sarde and Canal+ who put up the cash. This was really an uncompromising film, an epic made with a small budget”. Leigh’s abortion drama was also handed with a third Bafta for Costume design (Jacqueline Durran).

Although Martin Scorsese didn’t feel like thanking the British academy for selecting his film The Aviator as the Best film of the year, obviously disappointed for loosing in the Best director and Best actor categories (for Leonardo Di Caprio), he still showed some grace and his love for world cinema when collecting the Bafta for Best Production design on behalf of Italian master Dante Ferretti: “Dante has worked with the great Pasolini and Fellini, and I’ve worked with him for the last 13 years”, stressed Scorsese. The Howard Hughes biopic also won Best supporting actress (Cate Blanchett) and Best Make up and Hair.

A much more cheerful Walter Salles came to the stage with a handful of cast and crew and production partners, all part of The Motorcycle Diaries adventure to receive the Bafta for Best Film not in the English language. “I want to thank Film 4 who believed in this film when no one else did, and I want to thank Pathe who did a fantastic work with it”, said the Brazilian director. The Che Guevara road movie was also awarded for its music composed by Gustavo Santaolalla.
Two other films were twice rewarded with the coveted mask: Ray winner of Best actor (Jamie Foxx) and Best sound and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, winner of Best original screenplay and Editing.

The surprise (but deserving) winner of Best British film of the year was Pawel Pawlikowski’s My summer of love [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Jean-Paul Rougier
interview: Pawel Pawlikowski
interview: Tanya Seghatchian
film profile] who beat among others Vera Drake, while Amma Asante’s debut film Afterlife was voted Best first British feature film.
Other top winners of the evening included British actor Clive Owen voted Best supporting actor in Closer, and Alexander Payne and Jim Taylor for the adapted screenplay of Sideways. Finally the Orange Film of the year or Audience prize went to Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.