Black-and-white turned to gold as silent movie ‘The Artist’ won seven BAFTA awards including best film at the BAFTAs, raising expectations of a strong showing at the Academy Awards. Meryl Streep clinched the leading actress prize for her portrayal of former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in ‘The Iron Lady’. The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) awards are not always an accurate predictor of what is to come at the Oscars, but they are the most coveted film honours outside of the United States. Apart from Streep, the undisputed star of the night was The Artist, a French-made romance set in Hollywood in the 1920s and 30s.
It had been nominated for 12 awards and walked away with the prizes for best film, leading actor, director, original screenplay, costumes, cinematography and music. The Artist overshadowed the Cold War espionage thriller ‘Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy’, which picked up only two prizes out of the 11 for which it had been nominated, outstanding British film and best adapted screenplay. It was a second BAFTA win for Streep, who had received the 1981 leading actress prize for ‘The French Lieutenant’s Woman’. Martin Scorsese, director of ‘Taxi Driver’ and ‘Raging Bull’, went home with a BAFTA Fellowship celebrating his life in cinema.
