So, Atonement was the best film of the last year eh? Well, sorry chaps but I beg to differ. Call me hyper-cynical, but I propose that every single other nomination was actually a stronger contender for the award (There Will Be Blood, No Country For Old Men, The Lives of Others and American Gangster are all excellent, engaging films, strong stories told with technical mastery). However, this is the British Academy awards and I suppose we have to expect a certain Uk-biase. This biase, however, was certainly not in evidence in other categories, with Atonement only receiving 2 awards out of 14 nominations. Surely something doesn’t quite add up here? How can a film that has failed to win in 12 of the categories it was nominated then be crowned the ‘best’? It’s like giving someone a gold medal as a consolation prize. Nevermind, there were certainly some deserving winners amongst the pack – notably Daniel-Day Lewis (I pity anyone that finds themselves nominated in a category with him) and This Is England (which beat Atonement to Best British Film!).

The night was of course never going to be quite the self-congratulatory schmooze-fest it has been on previous occasssions, with Heath Ledger’s recent death and the Hollywood Writer’s Strike both providing stark reminders that this is an industry riddled with troubles. But still, you can always bank on ‘Dickie’ Attenborough to restore some pride – the old headmaster presented Anthony Hopkins with a well-deserved lifetime fellowship award, dropping a few prize names in the process (Charlie Chaplin, Laurence Olivier and Alfred Hitchcock are all previous recipients). The mention of these great auteurs reminded me of the way the film industry has changed in it’s relatively young life. As proved last night, projects of passion from mavericks on the industry fringes are increasingly usurping the studio blockbusters in the hearts of audiences and critics alike. And this can only be a good thing.

Winner’s List:

THE ACADEMY FELLOWSHIP
ANTHONY HOPKINS

OUTSTANDING BRITISH CONTRIBUTION TO CINEMA
BARRY WILKINSON

BEST FILM
ATONEMENT – Tim Bevan/Eric Fellner/Paul Webster

BEST BRITISH FILM
THIS IS ENGLAND – Mark Herbert/Shane Meadows

THE CARL FOREMAN AWARD for Special Achievement by a British Director, Writer or Producer for their First Feature Film
MATT GREENHALGH (Writer) – Control

DIRECTOR
NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN – Joel Coen/Ethan Coen

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
JUNO – Diablo Cody

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
THE DIVING BELL AND THE BUTTERFLY – Ronald Harwood

FILM NOT IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE
THE LIVES OF OTHERS – Quirin Berg/Max Wiedemann/Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck

ANIMATED FILM
RATATOUILLE – Brad Bird

LEADING ACTOR
DANIEL DAY-LEWIS – There Will Be Blood

LEADING ACTRESS
MARION COTILLARD – La Vie en Rose

SUPPORTING ACTOR
JAVIER BARDEM – No Country for Old Men

SUPPORTING ACTRESS
TILDA SWINTON – Michael Clayton

MUSIC
LA VIE EN ROSE – Christopher Gunning

CINEMATOGRAPHY
NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN – Roger Deakins

EDITING
THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM – Christopher Rouse

PRODUCTION DESIGN
ATONEMENT – Sarah Greenwood/Katie Spencer

COSTUME DESIGN
LA VIE EN ROSE – Marit Allen

SOUND
THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM – Kirk Francis/Scott Millan/David Parker/Karen Baker Landers/Per Hallberg

SPECIAL VISUAL EFFECTS
THE GOLDEN COMPASS – Michael Fink/Bill Westenhofer/Ben Morris/Trevor Wood

MAKE UP & HAIR
LA VIE EN ROSE – Jan Archibald/Didier Lavergne

SHORT ANIMATION
THE PEARCE SISTERS – Jo Allen/Luis Cook

SHORT FILM
DOG ALTOGETHER – Diarmid Scrimshaw/Paddy Considine

THE ORANGE RISING STAR AWARD (voted for by the public)
SHIA LABEOUF