BAFTA Film Awards 2021 held over Zoom amid COVID-19 pandemic

Moscow: The 74th British Academy Film Awards took place over the weekend and saw winners accepting their awards in the comforts of their homes as the ceremony was held virtually over Zoom as restrictions stay strict amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The drama “Nomadland” was the big winner of the night taking home four awards - for the Best Film, Director (Chloe Zhao), Lead Actress (Frances McDormand) and Cinematography categories.

“Thank you for showing us that ageing is a beautiful part of life ... a journey that we should all cherish and celebrate. How we treat our elders says a lot about who we are as a society and we need to do better,” Zhao said in her acceptance speech.

Anthony Hopkins, 83, became the oldest ever male actor to win Best Actor for his role in “The Father,” an adaptation by Florian Zeller of his play about a man with dementia. Zeller won Best Adapted Screenplay alongside Christopher Hampton, who translated the play from French into English.

Other winners included thriller-comedy “Promising Young Woman” winning the Outstanding British Film award, computer-animated family adventure film “Soul” winning the Best Original score award and documentary “My Octopus Teacher” scored the award for best documentary. (UNI)