BAFTA Awards 2024: Shocking Wins, Heartbreaking Snubs, and Michael J. Foxx's Memorable Appearance

BAFTAs 2024

The British Academy of Film and Television Arts Awards, more commonly known as the BAFTA Awards, is an annual award show hosted by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) to honour the best British and international contributions to film. The 77th edition of The British Academy Film and Television Arts Awards, which took place on Sunday 18 February, was hosted by David Tennant, the star of ‘Doctor Who’ and ‘Broadchurch’, and telecast on BBC One and iPlayer and broadcast worldwide including on Britbox in North America.

Older Locations v/s Current Location

In the twenty-first century, the ceremony was held in the Odeon Cinema on Leicester Square until 2008. The ceremony was then held at the Royal Opera House in London’s Covent Garden. From 2017 to 2022, the BAFTA ceremony was held at the Royal Albert Hall.

For the 76th British Academy Film Awards in 2023, it was announced that the ceremony would be moved to its new home, The Southbank Centre’s monumental Royal Festival Hall, as part of a new multi-year deal between BAFTA and the Southbank Centre, bringing the Film Awards in-line with the British Academy Television Awards and British Academy Games Awards, which were already held there. Hence, keeping in line with the venue change, the 2024 BAFTAs took place here as well.

Movies With The Most Wins

Movies which dominated the night were:

1. Oppenheimer: As almost everyone had predicted, Christopher Nolan’s story of the father of the atomic bomb triumphed – seven awards, including Best Film, Best Director and Best Actor for Cillian Murphy. It went on to win Best Adapted Screenplay.

2. Poor Things: This sex-charged gothic comedy starring Emma Stone also enjoyed a successful night, winning five BAFTA Awards, including Best Leading Actress for Stone, Best Costume Design, Best Makeup and Hair, Best Production Design, and Best Special Visual Effects.

While these two films led the pack, several others received multiple awards, including:

The Zone of Interest: Two awards (Outstanding British Film and Film Not in the English Language)
The Holdovers: Two awards (Supporting Actress for Da’Vine Joy Randolph and Outstanding British Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer)
Anatomy of a Fall: One Award (Original Screenplay)

Snubbed By The Awards

Here are some notable “snubbed” awards:

Films:

Barbie: Despite receiving five nominations, including Best Director (Greta Gerwig) and Best Original Screenplay, the highly anticipated film walked away with zero awards.
Killers of the Flower Moon: This Martin Scorsese film, considered a major Oscars contender, only received one nomination (Supporting Actor for Robert De Niro) but didn’t convert it. Its exclusion from major categories like Best Picture and Best Director surprised many.
Maestro: Although receiving nominations for Best Actor (Bradley Cooper) and Supporting Actor (Jeremy Irons), this biopic about Leonard Bernstein also left empty-handed.
No female directors in Best Director category: Notably, the BAFTA nominations for Best Director only included male filmmakers, sparking conversations about gender representation in the industry.

Star-Studded Audience At The BAFTAs

Among the attendees was Prince William, the Prince of Wales, who has been the president of the academy since 2010. Prince William annually attends the award show, but this year, the heir attended the ceremony alone. In the past, he has been joined by his wife, Catherine, the Princess of Wales. Catherine – known by many as Kate – is sidelined from her public-facing royal duties for several months as she recovers from abdominal surgery.

The Prince of Wales, dressed in a blue velvet blazer with suit trousers, patent leather Oxfords and a bow tie, was seated next to Cate Blanchett, the Oscar-winning acting powerhouse who donned a burgundy Louis Vuitton gown, and David Beckham, the legendary football icon who surprised everyone as a presenter while sporting a black tuxedo. The night’s international spark came from Deepika Padukone, India’s dazzling star, who was draped in a golden saree as she presented an award.

Michael J. Fox, Canadian and American activist and retired actor who rose to prominence portraying Alex P. Keaton on the NBC sitcom Family Ties and Marty McFly in the Back to the Future film trilogy, made a surprise and emotional appearance at the 2024 BAFTA Awards on February 18th. He entered the stage in a wheelchair, walked the final steps unaided, and presented the award for Best Film. The audience erupted in a warm and standing ovation, recognizing not only his acting career but also his resilience and advocacy for Parkinson’s research.