Off the wire
• Turkey says G20 set to overcome social unrests  • 1st LD: At least 22 Egyptian soccer fans killed in clashes with police  • Roundup: Greek left gov't rejects austerity, extension of bailout programme  • China warns of challenges for global economy in 2015  • Nigeria to privatize transport sector  • Tanzanian police seize 40 kg of heroin, arrest two foreigners  • Three humanitarian workers killed in Sudan's Blue Nile state  • Urgent: 14 football fans killed in clashes with police in Cairo  • Khartoum hopes official's Washington visit would produce breakthrough in bilateral ties  • Greek left gov't rejects austerity, extension of bailout program  
You are here: 　 Home

BAFTA film awards celebrates off-beat with 'Boyhood' triumphing

Xinhua, February 9, 2015 Adjust font size:

The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) Sunday celebrated the off-beat, with independent films taking the lion's share of awards at its annual ceremony at the Royal Opera House in central London.

Star film of the evening was the independent American movie 'Boyhood' which was named best film. Its director Richard Linklater won the director award. In addition, Patricia Arquette was named best supporting actress for her role in the film.

'Grand Budapest Hotel', Wes Anderson's idiosyncratic and stylish comedy adventure, won the most awards, picking up five, including costume design, production design, original music, make-up and hair, and original screenplay.

The other favorite of the evening was another independent American film 'Whiplash', about the brutality, antagonisms and obsessiveness of a student drummer and his vicious-mouthed university teacher.

'Whiplash' won three awards -- for editing, sound, and one for American actor JK Simmons who won the supporting actor award for his role as the teacher.

'Boyhood', 'Grand Budapest Hotel' and 'Whiplash' are offbeat and unusual, and made it onto the shortlist and won the awards ahead of more mainstream films, the speciality of Hollywood.

Speaking after winning the award Simmons said, "I think that a lot of films that are thinking outside the box are getting made this year."

As if to underline the point, the best actress award went to Julianne Moore for her role in yet another independent movie, 'Ask Alice', and Eddie Redmayne was named best actor for his role as scientist Stephen Hawking in 'The Theory of Everything'.

The highpoint of the evening was the award of the BAFTA fellowship to British director Mike Leigh, who works with his actors to create the scripts of his films from improvisation.

His latest film 'Mr Turner', about the life of 19th century British painter JMW Turner, was nominated for awards in New York, and France, but was not even nominated by the BAFTA, causing a minor media storm.

Leigh has never won an award from the BAFTA, despite a career of filmmaking that stretches back to the late 1960s and which covers 20 films.

Leigh said after receiving his award that he was not disappointed or angry about the BAFTA's previous lack of recognition for his work.

Instead Leigh said that the BAFTA's decision to honor him was a signal that his type of movies -- off-beat and independent and often made on a low budget -- was an important part of filmmaking.

"This is a sign of your respect for an offbeat, idiosyncratic, personal kind of cinema -- an independent cinema," said Leigh.

And Leigh pointed to other winners of awards to support his point, "The winner tonight, 'Boyhood' is a definitive independent film," said Leigh.

The BAFTA awards come just two weeks before the Oscars ceremony in Hollywood and are sometimes seen as an indication of what may succeed there.

'Boyhood' has been nominated for six Academy awards, including best film and best director, and it remains to be seen if the Hollywood hierarchy will honor off-beat and independent films in the same way that the British Academy has. Endit