Sam Mendes' World War I epic has won the awards for best film and best director from the British Academy of Film and Television Arts. The ceremony, a week ahead of the Oscars, was criticized for its lack of diversity.
Image: Reuters/T. Melville
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World War I drama 1917 has won the award for best film at the British Academy of Film and Television Arts awards (BAFTAs), with director Sam Mendes picking up honors for best director at Sunday's glamorous ceremony in London.
The immersive war epic, based on the wartime experiences of Mendes' grandfather, also picked up five further awards making it the big winner of the night, beating off US contenders Joker, The Irishman and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.
The film tells the story of two British soldiers on a perilous mission across no man's land to try to avert a suicidal offensive, and shot in long, uninterrupted takes, the film was also honored for its cinematography and production design, sound and visual effects.
Joaquin Phoenix was named best actor for Joker, and Renee Zellweger took home the best actress prize for the Judy Garland biopic Judy.
The British awards are often seen as a forerunner to Hollywood's Academy Awards, which will be held this year on February 9.
'1917' also took home awards for cinematography, production design, sound and visual effectsImage: 2019 Universal Pictures and Storyteller Distribution Co., LLC.
Lack of diversity?
A lack of diversity dominated discussion ahead of the BAFTAs. The rising star award, the one trophy decided by the public, went to black British actor Micheal Ward, but awards organizers called it "disappointing'' that there were no performers of color among the acting nominees.
Nominees for the BAFTAs are chosen by 6,500 academy members who work in the UK and international film industry.
British star Cynthia Erivo, who is Oscar-nominated for her performance as abolitionist Harriet Tubman in Harriet but who was ignored by the BAFTAs, declined an invitation to perform at Sunday's award ceremony in protest.
Golden Globe winners
With the winners selected by about 90 foreign film journalists, the Golden Globe is second only to the Oscar as the most important film award in the US. The nominations — and the winners — included some surprises.
Image: Reuters/NBC Universal/P. Drinkwater
Sam Mendes
"1917," the British filmmaker's passionately staged drama about a World War I episode, won the prize in the best drama category. Mendes also took top honors as best director.
Image: Reuters/NBC Universal/P. Drinkwater
'1917' — the horror of war
Having only recently premiered in movie theaters, "1917" stands out for exceptional form and dramaturgy: It is staged in a way that gives the viewer the feeling of being there in real time, through the story of two English soldiers who have to quickly bring a message through enemy territory.
Image: 2019 Universal Pictures and Storyteller Distribution Co., LLC.
Quentin Tarantino
The US director was the second big Golden Globe winner, with his film "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood" declared the best film in the comedy or musical category. Unlike the Oscars, the Globes split the main prize into two categories, one for a "serious" and one for a "lighter" film.
Image: Reuters/NBC Universal/P. Drinkwater
Three Globes for 'Once Upon a Time in Hollywood'
Tarantino's film took three top honors. Along with one of the two main prizes, best supporting actor went to Brad Pitt (shown here left, next to Leonardo DiCaprio) — and best screenplay to Tarantino himself.
Image: Imago Images/Zuma Press/Columbia Pictures
Stunning comeback: Renee Zellweger
Zellweger earned the award for best actress for her convincing portrayal of Judy Garland in "Judy," which depicts the final months in the life of the actress and singer who died in 1969. First gaining recognition back in 2001 in "Bridget Jones's Diary," Zellweger reinvented herself for the role.
Image: AFP/F. J. Brown
No surprise: Joaquin Phoenix
As most experts had expected, the best actor award went to Phoenix for his brilliant depiction of an unstable personality in the controversial film "Joker," a character alternating between violence, psychological crises and helplessness.
Image: AFP/A. Sussman
A new star: Awkwafina
US rapper, host and actress Awkwafina is still relatively unknown in the international film scene. She became the first performer of Asian descent to win a Golden Globe for best lead actress in the musical or comedy category. The prize recognizes her performance in "The Farewell," in which she plays a young woman (photo: center right) who travels to China to support her sick grandmother.
Image: picture-alliance/AP/C. Moss
Taron Egerton is 'Rocketman'
Outdoing prominent co-nominees Daniel Craig and Leonardo DiCaprio, the male victor in the musical or comedy category is British actor Taron Egerton, who portrayed pop star Elton John in "Rocketman."
Image: picture-alliance/AP/Paramount/D. Appleby
A Golden Globe for South Korea
Like the Oscars, the Golden Globes include a prize for non-English films. The award for best foreign language film went to "Parasite" by director Bong Joon-ho, which had already won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes film festival.
Image: Reuters/NBC Universal/P. Drinkwater
Television and series
Globes are also awarded to series, TV films and their actors and actresses. After taking an Oscar for her portrayal of a queen in "The Favourite" (picture), actress Olivia Coleman now has now won a Globe, honored here again as a queen for her contribution to the series "The Crown."
Image: AFP/V. Macon
Another award for Phoebe Waller-Bridge
After winning several Emmys for the satirical series "Fleabag," writer, co-producer and actress Phoebe Waller-Bridge now took the Golden Globe in the category best television series — musical or comedy.
Image: Reuters/M. Blake
The horror of Chernobyl
A convincing retelling of the story of the nuclear reactor catastrophe in 1986, the five-episode British-American series "Chernobyl" took the top honor in the category best limited TV series. "Chernobyl" demonstrates that shorter series with social-political content can perform well globally.
Taking a stand against environmental degradation and climate change
Many prize winners take the Golden Globe awards ceremony as an opportunity to make political statements. Australian actor Russell Crowe drew attention to the catastrophic fires raging in Australia. He had his statement read at the gala so that he could stay home in Australia with his family.
Image: Getty Images/Q. Rooney
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