‘BILLY ELLIOT’ SCOOPS FOUR BAFTAS

‘BILLY Elliot’, ‘Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon’ and ‘Gladiator’ led the honours at The Orange British Academy Film Awards.
‘Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon’ and ‘Gladiator’ picked up four awards each, with three BAFTA awards going to British movie ‘Billy Elliot’.
The multi-nominated ‘Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon’ received ‘The David Lean Award’ for Achievement in Direction for Ang Lee, ‘The Anthony Asquith Award’ for Achievement in Film Music, Costume Design and Film not in the English Language.
Ridley Scott’s blockbuster ‘Gladiator’ took four awards including ‘Best Film’, ‘Editing’, ‘Cinematography’ and ‘Production Design’. It also won the ‘Orange Audience Award’.
For their performances in ‘Billy Elliot’, Jamie Bell beat off heavyweight nominees Russell Crowe, Michael Douglas, Tom Hanks and Geoffrey Rush to take ‘Actor in a Leading Role’ and Julie Walters received the BAFTA Award for ‘Actress in a Supporting Role’. The film also won ‘The Alexander Korda Award’ for the Outstanding British Film of the Year.
Julia Roberts won the award for ‘Actress in a Leading Role’ for her role in ‘Erin Brockovich’, beating Juliette Binoche, Kate Hudson, Hilary Swank and Michelle Yeoh.
Benicio Del Toro picked up ‘Actor in a Supporting Role’ for his role in ‘Traffic’, which also received the award for ‘Adapted Screenplay’. Cameron Crowe’s ‘Almost Famous’ also received two awards, one for ‘Original Screenplay’ and one for ‘Sound.
Following’ in the footsteps of previous recipients Elizabeth Taylor and Sir Michael Caine, Albert Finney received ‘The Academy Fellowship’. The Fellowship is the highest accolade given by the British Academy in recognition of a consistently high standard of work in film.
Casting Director Mary Selway was awarded ‘The Michael Balcon Award’ for outstanding British Contribution to Cinema. Her work includes ‘Withnail and I’, ‘Out of Africa’, ‘Raiders of the Lost Ark’, ‘Notting Hill’ and ‘Captain Corelli’s Mandolin’.
Other films individually honoured included ‘The Perfect Storm’ for ‘Achievement in Special Visual Effects’ with ‘Make Up and Hair’ going to ‘The Grinch’. ‘Shadowscan’ won ‘Short Film’ with ‘Short Animation’ going to ‘Father and Daughter’.
Pawel Pawlikowski writer and director of ‘The Last Resort’ received ‘The Carl Foreman Award’ for Most Promising Newcomer in British Film. (CD)