Bafta 2025: Conclave and The Brutalist Dominate Awards

Image credit: Hraybould, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

The Bafta film awards saw Conclave and The Brutalist take home the night’s biggest prizes, each winning four awards. Edward Berger’s Conclave, based on Robert Harris’s novel, claimed both Best Film and Outstanding British Film, marking the first time a movie has won both since 1917. It also picked up Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Editing. Berger, a German director, expressed his gratitude, saying, “Best British and I’m not even from here, so I feel so welcome in your midst.”

Brady Corbet’s The Brutalist also won four awards, including Best Director. Adrien Brody earned his first Bafta for Best Actor for his role as Hungarian architect and Holocaust survivor László Tóth. In his speech, Brody called the award “incredibly meaningful,” adding that England had begun to feel like home. The film also secured Best Original Score and Best Cinematography.

Mikey Madison wins Best Actress

One of the biggest surprises of the night was Mikey Madison winning Best Actress for her role in Anora, beating out Demi Moore, who had been dominating the category this awards season. Madison, who played a Brooklyn stripper caught in a whirlwind romance with a Russian oligarch’s son, was visibly shocked. “Wow, I really wasn’t expecting this. I probably should have listened to my publicist and written a speech or something!” she said. She also took a moment to recognize the sex worker community, saying, “I see you, you deserve respect and human decency. I will always be an ally and a friend.”

Kieran Culkin and Zoe Saldaña take Best Supporting Actor and Actress

Kieran Culkin won Best Supporting Actor for A Real Pain, though he wasn’t present to accept the award. His co-star and the film’s writer-director, Jesse Eisenberg, accepted on his behalf. The film, about two cousins tracing their Jewish grandmother’s history in Poland, also won Best Original Screenplay.

Zoe Saldaña took home Best Supporting Actress for Emilia Pérez, a French musical about a drug lord who transitions to a new life as a woman. Saldaña, emotional during her speech, said, “This is so validating… Films are supposed to change hearts and challenge minds, and I hope Emilia Pérez did something like this.” The film also won Best International Film despite recent controversy surrounding its lead actress, Karla Sofía Gascón.

Wallace & Gromit win Best Animation

Other notable winners included Dune: Part Two, which won Best Special Effects and Best Sound, and Wicked, which picked up awards for Best Production Design and Best Costume Design. Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl won Best Animation and Best Children’s Film, marking Aardman’s first Bafta win in the animation category despite their long legacy in the genre.

Warwick Davis receives Bafta Fellowship

British actor Warwick Davis received the prestigious Bafta Fellowship for his contributions to film, honoring both his acting career and advocacy work. The In Memoriam segment paid tribute to industry legends, including Dame Maggie Smith, David Lynch, and Donald Sutherland, with Jeff Goldblum performing As Time Goes By on the piano.

Hosted by David Tennant, the ceremony opened on a lively note as he led the audience in singing I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles) by The Proclaimers. With the Oscars just around the corner, the Bafta results have added new intrigue to an already unpredictable awards season.