Ok, I admit it: after watching the Oscar’s as a kid, I would glide around the house in my best dress-up clothes rehearsing my acceptance speech. I also admit I was still doing this as a teenager. What Oscar I would win would alternate with my mood: if I was feeling a bit emotional that day, I would be winning Best Actress and if I was feeling particularly creative, Best Screenplay.
While I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with awards shows (many of my favorite actors, screenplays and movies have never won), there is something undeniably magical about it all. I’ll never forget waiting impatiently to see what Kate Winslet was wearing at the 1998 Oscar’s, wondering if Titanic would win Best Movie and if Winslet would win Best Actress.
While I had been watching British TV for a few years at that point, it was Kate Winslet who really introduced me to British film. While researching Winslet’s filmography, I noticed she had won a BAFTA for her work in Sense & Sensibility. The BAFTAs (British Academy of Film and Television Arts) are most often known as simply the “BAFTAs” or “British Academy Awards.” Swoon! An entirely new awards show to delve into? I was in Heaven.
While the BAFTAs began nearly 20 years after the first Oscar was awarded, the Academy has a rich and passionate history. Rowan Atkinson, Julie Andrews, Colin Firth, John Cleese and Judi Dench are just a few of the artists to have won this esteemed award. What’s interesting about the BAFTAs is there is a completely separate ceremony for television that occurs in the Spring.
The nominations for the 2013 BAFTAs were announced in January with the ceremony taking place at the Royal Opera House in London this coming Sunday, February 10th. Lincoln is leading the charge with a total of 10 nominations. Les Misérables and Life of Pi both follow with 9 nominations.
While normally I would be most excited about who is vying for Best Actress, I am more excited about Judi Dench being up for Best Supporting Actress for Skyfall. Sally Field is difficult to pass by, however, with her work in Lincoln. The following is a complete list of the top awards:
BEST FILM: OUTSTANDING BRITISH FILM:
*Argo *Anna Karenina
*Les Misérables *Les Misérables
*Lincoln *The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
*Life of Pie *Skyfall
*Zero Dark Thirty *Seven Psychopaths
BEST ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE: BEST ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE:
*Ben Affleck—Argo *Jessica Chastain—Zero Dark Thirty
*Bradley Cooper—Silver Linings Playbook *Marion Cotillard—Rust and Bone
*Daniel Day-Lewis—Lincoln *Jennifer Lawrence—Silver Linings Playbook
*Hugh Jackman—Les Misérables *Helen Mirren–Hitchcock
*Joaquin Phoenix—The Master *Emmanuelle Riva—Amour
BEST ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE: BEST ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE:
*Amy Adams—The Master *Alan Arkin—Argo
*Anne Hathaway—Les Misérables *Christoph Waltz—Django Unchained
*Helen Hunt—The Sessions *Javier Bardem—Skyfall
*Judi Dench—Skyfall *Philip Seymour Hoffman—The Master
*Sally Field—Lincoln *Tommy Lee Jones—Lincoln
Who are your favourites? While contemplating who will win, enjoy these fun facts about the BAFTAs:
1.) HRH Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, is President of the Academy, though he won’t be attending this year’s ‘do; Wills has been deployed to the Falkland Islands.
2.) Several video games have won awards: Wii Sports, Halo 2, Guitar Hero and Call of Duty: Finest Hour are just a few that have won.
3.) At the 2012 BAFTAS Steven Moffat, creator of Sherlock and head writer on Dr. Who, was presented the Special Award for creative writing on television by Benedict Cumberbatch (Sherlock) and Matt Smith (Dr. Who).
The BAFTA Film Awards 2013 premieres Sunday, February 10, 8:00pm ET as a three-hour special on BBC America, starting with a 30-minute Red Carpet Show.
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Love all the award shows. Glad to see Skyfall getting some recognition!!