Conclave has taken the top prize at this year’s BAFTA film awards, winning best film as well as outstanding British film.
Based on Robert Harris’s 2016 novel of the same name, and centred around the selection of a new pope, the movie also won best adapted screenplay and best editing.
Thanking his ensemble cast as he accepted the award, director Edward Berger said: “What you did to me on set when I watched you was pure magic, it was beyond my grasp or understanding.”
It’s not the first BAFTA success for the filmmaker, who swept the board two years ago with his remake of All Quiet On The Western Front, taking seven prizes.
Despite being the most nominated movie of the night, Conclave did not take any of the acting prizes, with its star Ralph Fiennes losing out to The Brutalist lead Adrien Brody in best actor.
Brody’s portrayal of Hungarian architect Lazlo Toth making his way in America after World War II saw the 51-year-old actor bag his first BAFTA statuette.
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New York-born Brody said the gong was “incredibly meaningful”, adding: “England has felt quite a bit like home lately.”
The three-and-a-half-hour-long epic also took best director, best original score and best cinematography.
Accepting his director award, Brady Corbet, told the audience that despite being “humbled” and “grateful” for his win, there really was “no such thing” as best director.
Conclave and The Brutalist were joint-winners across the night, taking four gongs each.
Image: Ralph Fiennes. Pic: Reuters
Anora, about a Brooklyn sex worker who marries into money, saw its break-out lead star, Mikey Madison take the top prize, after many had forecast a win for Demi Moore.
Accepting her award, the 25-year-old actress took her moment on the stage to honour the sex worker community, who she said had helped her immeasurably in her preparation for the role, telling them: “I see you. You deserve respect and human decency. I will always be a friend and an ally.”
Anora also took the casting prize.
Emilia Perez, which has come under fire in recent weeks following resurfaced tweets from its lead star Karla Sofia Gascon, took best film not in the English language. Gascon was not at the event.
An emotional Zoe Saldaña, took best supporting actress for her outstanding performance in the musical – in which she acts, sings and dances – telling the audience her win was “so validating” and “a true honour”.
Image: Zoe Saldana was named best supporting actress for her performance in Emilia Perez. Pic: PA
As she accepted her prize the 46-year-old star said: “I was told not to cry by my children, so I’m going to try. This is so validating because the very few times I tried to go for roles with a British accent I was told this isn’t going to happen.”
She ended her emotional speech by saying: “Films are supposed to change hearts and challenge minds and I hope Emilia Perez did something like this, because voices need to be heard, just not my English accent.”
Saldana, who won in the same category at the Golden Globes last month will be hoping to follow up her success with an Oscar in March.
An early front-runner in awards season, mostly Spanish language movie Emilia Perez had already been under fire from parts of the trans community for what some considered to be a retrograde step in representation, as well as those who objected to stereotypical depictions of Mexicans, as well as its handling of the sensitive topic of narcotics crime, which has claimed hundreds of thousands of lives.
Image: Jesse Eisenberg won the BAFTA for best original screenplay for A Real Pain. Pic: PA
Kieran Culkin, 42, won best supporting actor for his role in comedy A Real Pain, with his co-star and the film’s writer Jesse Eisenberg accepting the gong on his behalf due to a member of Culkin’s family being unwell, meaning he was in New York to be by their side.
The movie, about two cousins revisiting their family history in Poland, also took best original screenplay.
Body horror The Substance took a well-deserved win for best makeup and hair, despite Moore missing out on the best actress win.
Back to host for a second year running, Scottish actor David Tennant opened the show singing The Proclaimers’ I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles).
Image: David Tennant arrives for the BAFTAs
With 42 gongs to hand out, from a host of star presenters, the first awards of the night went to Dune: Part Two which took special visual effects.
Elsewhere, Wallace And Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl bagged best children’s and family film as well a best animated feature.
Accepting his second prize, Aardman director Nick Park joked: “I didn’t actually write a second speech.”
The music biopic about Mo Chara, Moglai Bap and DJ Provai (who wore his trademark balaclava in the colours of the Irish flag on the red carpet) had been up for six BAFTAs, despite missing out on making it to the Oscars shortlist last month.
Image: Kneecap on the red carpet. Pic: PA
While it was up for seven awards, BAFTA voters didn’t seem to be feeling too much of the Wicked magic, with the Wizard Of Oz prequel taking two prizes, best production design and best costume design.
Meanwhile, Dune: Dune Part Two performed well in the technical categories, winning best sound and best visual effects.
Despite being up for six awards, A Complete Unknown, went home empty handed.
Lack of gongs aside, the movie’s star Timothée Chalamet still managed to cause plenty of buzz on the night, thanks to the fact he was accompanied to the ceremony with his girlfriend Kylie Jenner, who is part of the Kardashian clan.
In a pre-announced win, British star Warwick Davis, best known for fantasy film Willow and the Harry Potter movies, was awarded the prestigious BAFTA film fellowship for both his performing and advocacy work.
Image: Jeff Goldblum impressed with his musical skills on the night. Pic: PA
The In Memoriam section of the night was led by Wicked star Jeff Goldblum playing As Time Goes By on the piano as late stars including Dame Maggie Smith, David Lynch and Dame Joan Plowright were honoured.
Alien Romulus star David Jonsson won the only publicly voted award of the night, the rising star, celebrating up and coming talent.
And in a balloon-filled performance, Take That’s current line up of Gary Barlow, Howard Donald and Mark Owen performed their hit Greatest Day, which features heavily in Anora.
This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly.
Officers should focus on “tackling real crime and policing the streets”, Downing Street has said – after the Metropolitan Police announced it is no longer investigating non-crime hate incidents.
The announcement by Britain’s biggest force on Monday came after it emerged Father Ted creator Graham Linehan will face no further action after he was arrested at Heathrow Airport on suspicion of inciting violence over three posts he made on X about transgender issues.
Sir Keir Starmer’s spokesman said police forces will “get the clarity they need to keep our streets safe” when a review of non-crime hate incidents by the National Police Chiefs’ Council and College of Policing is published in December.
“The police should focus on tackling real crime and policing the streets,” he said.
“The home secretary has asked that this review be completed at pace, working with the National Police Chiefs’ Council and the College of Policing.
“We look forward to receiving its findings as soon as possible, so that the other forces get the clarity they need to keep our streets safe.”
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He said the government will “always work with police chiefs to make sure criminal law and guidance reflects the common-sense approach we all want to see in policing”.
After Linehan’s September arrest, Met Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley said officers were in “an impossible position” when dealing with statements made online.
Image: File pic: iStock
On Monday, a Met spokesperson said the commissioner had been “clear he doesn’t believe officers should be policing toxic culture war debates, with current laws and rules on inciting violence online leaving them in an impossible position”.
The force said the decision to no longer investigate non-crime hate incidents would now “provide clearer direction for officers, reduce ambiguity and enable them to focus on matters that meet the threshold for criminal investigations”.
Justice minister Sarah Sackman said it is “welcome news” the Met will now be focusing on crimes such as phone snatching, mugging, antisocial behaviour and violent crime.
Asked if other forces should follow the Met’s decision, she said: “I think that other forces need to make the decisions that are right for their communities.
“But I’m sure that communities up and down the country would want that renewed focus on violent crime, on antisocial behaviour, and on actual hate crime.”
The Met said it will still record non-crime hate incidents to use as “valuable pieces of intelligence to establish potential patterns of behaviour or criminality”.
Bob Vylan’s frontman has said he does not regret chanting “death, death to the IDF” at Glastonbury – and would do it again.
The outspoken punk duo sparked controversy with their performance at the festival in June, with the broadcast also leading to fierce criticism of the BBC.
But speaking on The Louis Theroux podcast, Bobby Vylan said he stood by the chant, adding: “I’d do it again tomorrow, twice on Sundays.”
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BBC bosses grilled over Masterchef, Bob Vylan and Gaza documentary
Vylan claimed this backlash is “minimal” compared with what the people of Palestine are going through – with many losing members of their family or forced to flee their homes.
He said: “If I have their support, they’re the people that I’m doing it for, they’re the people that I’m being vocal for, then what is there to regret. Oh, because I’ve upset some right-wing politician or some right-wing media?”
The musician revealed he was taken aback by the uproar caused by the chant, which was described by the prime minister as “appalling hate speech”.
Vylan added: “It wasn’t like we came off stage, and everybody was like (gasps). It’s just normal. We come off stage. It’s normal. Nobody thought anything. Nobody. Even staff at the BBC were like: ‘That was fantastic! We loved that!'”
A spokesperson at Mindhouse Productions – which was founded by Theroux and produces The Louis Theroux podcast – told Sky News: “Louis is a journalist with a long history of speaking to controversial figures who may divide opinion. We would suggest people watch or listen to the interview in its entirety to get the full context of the conversation.”
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Theroux asked Vylan what he meant by chanting “death to the IDF” – with the musician replying: “It’s so unimportant, and the response to it was so disproportionate.
“What is important is the conditions that exist to allow that chant to even take place on that stage. And I mean, the conditions that exist in Palestine. Where the Palestinian people are being killed at an alarming rate.”
He said he wanted an end to the oppression that the Palestinian people are facing – but argued chanting “end, end the IDF” wouldn’t have caught on because it doesn’t rhyme.
“We are there to entertain, we are there to play music,” Vylan added. “I am a lyricist. ‘Death, death to IDF’ rhymes. Perfect chant.”
He went on to reject claims that their set had contributed to a spike in antisemitic incidents that were reported a couple of days later.
“I don’t think I have created an unsafe atmosphere for the Jewish community. If there were large numbers of people going out and going like ‘Bob Vylan made me do this’. I might go, ‘oof, I’ve had a negative impact here’.”
Vylan’s conversation with Theroux was recorded on 1 October – before the Manchester synagogue attack, and prior to the ceasefire in Gaza coming into effect.
A security guard jailed for plotting to kidnap, rape and murder TV star Holly Willoughby has lost an appeal against his life sentence.
Gavin Plumb was sentenced to life with a minimum term of 16 years last year after being convicted of soliciting murder and encouraging or assisting others to rape and kidnap.
A trial at Chelmsford Crown Court heard that police found bottles of chloroform and an “abduction kit” with cable ties when officers raided the 38-year-old’s flat in Harlow, Essex.
Plumb’s kidnap plan involved attempting to “ambush” Willoughby at her family home, jurors heard.
Plumb argued in his defence that it was just online chat and fantasy.
Image: Police believed Plumb was an ‘imminent threat’ to Holly Willoughby. Pic: PA
He was caught after an undercover police officer in the US infiltrated an online group called Abduct Lovers.
He told the officer, who used the pseudonym David Nelson, that he was “definitely serious” about his plot to kidnap the former This Morning host, leaving him with the impression that there was an “imminent threat” to Willoughby.
Due to the officer’s concern over Plumb’s post, evidence was passed to the FBI, who then contacted police in the UK.
Willoughby, who asked for her victim personal statement to be private, waived her right to anonymity in connection with the charge against Plumb of assisting or encouraging rape.
This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly.