British Academy Film Awards

annual film award held in London, EnglandTemplate:SHORTDESC:annual film award held in London, England

The **EE British Academy Film Awards** or **BAFTA Film Awards** are presented in 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 ceremonies were initially held at the flagship Odeon cinema in Leicester Square in London, before being held at the Royal Opera House from 2008 to 2016. Since 2017, the ceremony has been held at the Royal Albert Hall in London.

## History

The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) was founded in 1947 as The British Film Academy, by David Lean, Alexander Korda, Carol Reed, Charles Laughton, Roger Manvell and others. In 1958, the Academy merged with The Guild of Television Producers and Directors to form The Society of Film and Television, which eventually became The British Academy of Film and Television Arts in 1976.

The stated charitable purpose of BAFTA is to "support, develop and promote the art forms of the moving image, by identifying and rewarding excellence, inspiring practitioners, and benefiting the public". In addition to high-profile awards ceremonies, BAFTA runs a year-round programme of educational events, including film screenings and tribute evenings. BAFTA is supported by a membership of about 6,000 people from the film, television, and video game industries.

The Academy's awards are in the form of a theatrical mask designed by American sculptor Mitzi Cunliffe, in response to a commission from the Guild of Television Producers in 1955.

## Annual ceremony

 File:BAFTA 2008.jpg
The ceremony previously took place in April or May, but since 2001 it has been held in February in order to precede the Academy Awards. Most of the awards are open to all nationalities, though there are awards for Outstanding British Film and Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Producer or Director. Only UK films are eligible for the categories of The British Short Film and British Short Animation awards.

The Awards ceremony is delayed broadcast on British television the same evening, and across the world. The first broadcast was on the BBC in 1956. It has been broadcast in colour since 1970. In the United States it is shown on BBC America.

During each annual ceremony, BAFTA pauses *in memoriam* to pay tribute to those in the industry who have died over the past 12 months, showcasing a montage of images accompanied by music.

### Location

The award ceremony is held in London. From 2000 to 2007, the ceremonies took place at the flagship Odeon cinema in Leicester Square. Between 2008 and 2016, the ceremonies took place at the Royal Opera House. The 70th Awards in 2017, and subsequent ceremonies, were held at the Royal Albert Hall.

### Sponsorship

Until 2012, the mobile telephone network Orange sponsored the awards. Orange's parent company, EE, took over the sponsorship of the event from 2013.

## Award categories

* BAFTA Award for Best Film: since 1948
* BAFTA Award for Outstanding British Film: 1948-1968, 1992-present
* BAFTA Award for Best Film Not in the English Language: since 1983
* BAFTA Award for Best Documentary: 1948–1989, 2012-present
* BAFTA Award for Best Animated Film: since 2006
* BAFTA Award for Best Short Film: since 1980
* BAFTA Award for Best Short Animation: since 1990
* BAFTA Award for Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer: since 1998
* BAFTA Award for Best Direction: since 1968
* BAFTA Award for Best Adapted Screenplay: since 1984
* BAFTA Award for Best Original Screenplay: since 1984
* BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role: since 1968
* BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role: since 1968
* BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role: since 1969
* BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role: since 1969
* BAFTA Award for Best Cinematography: since 1969
* BAFTA Award for Best Editing: since 1968
* BAFTA Award for Best Costume Design: since 1969
* BAFTA Award for Best Production Design: since 1969
* BAFTA Award for Best Makeup and Hair: since 1983
* BAFTA Award for Best Original Music: since 1969
* BAFTA Award for Best Sound: since 1969
* BAFTA Award for Best Special Visual Effects: since 1983
* BAFTA Award for Best Casting: since 2020
* BAFTA Rising Star Award: since 2006

### Retired awards

* BAFTA Award for Most Promising Newcomer to Leading Film Roles (awarded 1952–1984)
* BAFTA Award for Best British Screenplay (awarded 1955–1968)
* BAFTA Award for Best Screenplay (awarded 1969–1983)
* BAFTA Award for Best British Actor (awarded 1952–1967)
* BAFTA Award for Best Foreign Actor (awarded 1952–1967)
* BAFTA Award for Best British Actress (awarded 1952–1967)
* BAFTA Award for Best Foreign Actress (awarded 1952–1967)
* BAFTA Award for Best Original Song (awarded 1983–1985)
* BAFTA Award for Best Factual Film
* BAFTA Award for Best Fictional Film
* BAFTA Award for Best Short Factual Film
* BAFTA Award for Best Specialised Film
* BAFTA John Grierson Award
* BAFTA United Nations Award (awarded 1949–1976)

### Special awards

* BAFTA Fellowship (since 1971)
* Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema Award (known as the Michael Balcon Award from 1979 to 2006)

## Superlatives

### Acting

In acting categories, Peter Finch holds the record for most awards won by an actor, with 5 wins. Michael Caine, Dustin Hoffman and Laurence Olivier are tied for most nominations, with 8 nominations each. Judi Dench and Maggie Smith are tied for most awards won by an actress, with 5 wins each, while Meryl Streep holds the record for most nominations, with 15 (as of the 2020 nominations).

### Directing

In the category for Best Director, John Schlesinger, Roman Polanski, Woody Allen, Alan Parker, Louis Malle, Joel Coen, Peter Weir, Ang Lee, and Alfonso Cuarón tie for the most wins in this category, with two each. Martin Scorsese holds the record for most nominations, with ten (as of the 2020 nominations). Steven Soderbergh is the only director to receive two nominations in the same year (being nominated in 2000 for *Traffic* and *Erin Brockovich*).

### Other

* **Most awards won by a single film**
	+ *Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid* (1969), with 9 wins.
* **Most nominations received by a single film**
	+ *Gandhi* (1982), with 16 nominations.
* **Most nominations without winning an award**
	+ *Women in Love* (1969) and *Finding Neverland* (2004), with 11 nominations each.
* **Oldest person to win an award**
	+ Emmanuelle Riva winning Best Actress in a Leading Role for *Amour* (84 years old).
* **Youngest person to win an award**
	+ Jodie Foster winning Best Actress in a Supporting Role for *Bugsy Malone* and *Taxi Driver* (13 years old).

## See also

* British Academy of Film and Television Arts
* British Academy Television Awards

## References

1. ↑ "The Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema Award - Awards" Template:Webarchive, *The BAFTA site*, 6 March 2012. Retrieved 27 August 2012.
2. ↑ BBC One London - 4 March 1971 - BBC Genome.
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 BBC One London - 26 February 1975 - BBC Genome.
4. ↑ BBC One London - 24 March 1977 - BBC Genome.

## External links

* Official website
* BAFTA Awards database
* Museum of Broadcast Communications: BAFTA
* IMDB: BAFTA

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