“Conclave” and “The Brutalist” dominate BAFTAs with four wins each

Papal thriller “Conclave“, starring Ralph Fiennes, was the big winner at the 78th British Academy Film Awards – the biggest night in British film – taking home four prizes, including Best Picture and Outstanding British film.

Directed by Edward Berger, the film entered this year’s BAFTA ceremony with a leading twelve nominations, the highest of any contender and is poised for the Oscars next month.

“We live in a time of a crisis of democracy. Institutions used to bringing us together are used to pull us apart. Sometimes it’s hard to keep the faith, and that’s why we make movies,” said Berger, collecting the award for Outstanding British film.

“The Brutalist”, an epic drama about a Hungarian architect, equaled the awards tally of the Vatican-set drama, scooping four trophies, including Best Director for Brady Corbet and Best Actor for Adrien Brody.

Brody fought off strong acting competition from Timothée Chalamet, star of the Bob Dylan biopic “A Complete Unknown”, which left empty-handed, as well as seven-time BAFTA nominee and past winner Ralph Fiennes.

Mikey Madison won the best actress prize for Brooklyn tragicomedy and Palme d’Or winner “Anora“. Euronews Culture’s resident film critic David Mouriquand described the movie as “a kinetic New York City screwball comedy, which updates Pretty Woman, shares the chaotic energy of the Safdie brothers’ Uncut Gems, and disguises a dark heart within an atypical boy-meets-girl.”

Kieran Culkin won the supporting performer prize for his role in Jesse Eisenberg’s “A Real Pain”, while Zoe Saldaña took home the award for “Emilia Pérez“, which also received the honour of Best Film not in the English language.

Last month, “Emilia Pérez” became the most nominated non-English language film of all time at the Oscars, scoring a record 13 nods including for Karla Sofía Gascón as Best Actress. She became the first out transgender performer to be nominated, and the stage was set for a historic win to cap off 2025’s awards season.

However, old social media posts resurfaced in which Gascón called Islam “a hotbed for infection,” labeled George Floyd a “drug addict swindler,” and criticised increased diversity at the Oscars, leading to immense public backlash.

Netflix has since distanced itself, removing her from promotional materials to salvage the film’s awards chances. It remains to be seen whether Gascón will attend the Oscars on 2 March in LA.  

“Wallace and Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl”, the animated adventure from Aardman, claimed Best Animated Feature and Best Family & Children’s Film and Sci-fi epic “Dune: Part Two” secured wins for Sound and Visual Effects.

“Willow” and “Return of the Jedi” actor Warwick Davis received the academy’s top honour, the BAFTA Fellowship, for his screen career and work to create a more inclusive film industry. The 3-foot, 6-inch (1.1-meter) actor founded a talent agency for actors under 5 feet tall, because, he said, “short actors weren’t known for their talent, just their height.”

“This is the best thing that’s ever happened to me – and I’ve been in ‘Star Wars,’” Davis quipped while accepting the award.

This year’s Rising Star award went to 31-year-old David Jonsson, acclaimed for his roles in the high-stakes TV drama “Industry”, the London rom-com “Rye Lane”, and Ridley Scott’s upcoming “Alien: Romulus“. Accepting the award on stage, Jonsson joked, “Star? I don’t know. But rising, I guess.”

Full list of 2025 BAFTA winners:

Best picture – Conclave

ADVERTISEMENT

Outstanding British film – Conclave

Outstanding debut by a British writer, director or producer – Kneecap, Rich Peppiatt (Director, Writer)

Best film not in the English language – Emilia Pérez

Best documentary – Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story

ADVERTISEMENT

Best animated film – Wallace and Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl

Best children’s & family film – Wallace and Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl

Best director – Brady Corbet (The Brutalist)

Best original screenplay –

ADVERTISEMENT

Best original screenplay – A Real Pain

Best adapted screenplay – Conclave

Best leading actor – Adrien Brody (The Brutalist)

Best leading actress – Mikey Madison (Anora)

ADVERTISEMENT

Best supporting actress – Zoe Saldaña, Emilia Pérez

Best supporting actor Kieran Culkin, A Real Pain

Best casting – Anora

Best cinematography – The Brutalist

ADVERTISEMENT

Best editing – Conclave

Best costume design – Wicked

Best make up and hair – The Substance

Best original score – The Brutalist

ADVERTISEMENT

Best production design – Wicked

Best sound – Dune: Part Two

Best special visual effects – Dune: Part Two

Best British short animation – Wonder

ADVERTISEMENT

Best British short film – Rock, Paper, Scissors

Rising star award – David Jonsson