LONDON (AFP) — "Atonement", the film adaptation of Ian McEwan's best-selling novel, was named Best Film at the star-studded BAFTAs, Britain's showpiece movie awards, on Sunday.
Daniel Day-Lewis was named Best Actor for his role in "There Will Be Blood", and French actress Marion Cotillard was the surprise winner of the Best Actress award for "La Vie En Rose", in which she played singer Edith Piaf.
The British Academy Film and Television Arts awards took on increased importance this year, after a writers' strike in the United States reduced the Golden Globes, traditionally the second-biggest film awards after the Oscars, to a mere news conference last month.
Overall, though "Atonement", a romantic drama about life and love in World War II, had been nominated in 14 categories, it managed to win only two, with the other coming in the Production Design category.
Discussing whether or not the night had been a disappointment for the cast and crew of "Atonement", co-producer Eric Fellner said: "When you are nominated 14 times and see 12 losses it's a great relief. Being nominated is an extraordinary thing. I'm incredibly happy to have 14 nominations and two wins."
While Day-Lewis was the favourite to win the Best Actor gong, Cotillard's victory meant Julie Christie, for "Away From Her", and Keira Knightley, for "Atonement", left empty-handed. The former was favourite to win.
Her award comes after she won a Golden Globe for the same performance, and the 32-year-old has also been nominated for an Oscar.
"La Vie En Rose" finished with four awards, the most of any film at the BAFTAs -- it also won in the Music, Costume Design and Make-up categories, with Cotillard having to play Piaf as a 19-year-old and, eventually, as a frail woman who died aged 47.
She later said that her award victory was "totally surreal" and added: "I'm absolutely shocked, totally shocked. I'm so happy ... I don't know what Edith Piaf would think about this. I hope she would be happy."
Sunday's victory for Day-Lewis, 50, gives him his second BAFTA, having won one in 1990, and follows similar successes at the Golden Globes and the Screen Actors' Guild Awards, and his portrayal of oil baron Daniel Plainview has also earned him an Oscar nomination.
On Sunday evening, he beat out, among others, James McAvoy for "Atonement" and George Clooney for "Michael Clayton".
"It didn't occur to me when I was doing the film that it would be a film that a lot of people would want to see," Day-Lewis said backstage after the ceremony.
Meanwhile, Joel and Ethan Coen won in the Best Director category for their dark thriller "No Country For Old Men" at the ceremony at central London's Royal Opera House.
"Transformers" star Shia LaBeouf won the Orange Rising Star award, and Oscar-winning actor Anthony Hopkins was presented with the BAFTA fellowship.
Tilda Swinton was named Best Supporting Actress for "Michael Clayton" while Javier Bardem won in the Best Supporting Actor category for "No Country For Old Men".
Though the BAFTAs normally play second fiddle to the Golden Globes, the writers' strike in the United States gave the awards extra importance.
The unions representing striking Hollywood screenwriters said on Saturday, however, that they had agreed to a deal to settle their three-month-old dispute, and could be back at work within days if the deal meets with union members' approval.
The strike severely disrupted Hollywood's annual awards season, leading to the cancellation of the Golden Globes awards after actors vowed to boycott the event, and casting a shadow over preparations for the February 24 Oscars.
Copyright © 2009 AFP. All rights reserved. More »
