Inside the room at the Alan Cumming-hosted BAFTA Awards, plus a full list of winners

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LONDON — This year’s BAFTA Awards had an unforeseen third-act twist.

After a comparatively calm ceremonial connected Sunday that chiefly honored “Sinners,” “One Battle After Another,” “Frankenstein” and “Hamnet,” Kerry Washington took the signifier astatine London’s Royal Festival Hall to denote the victor of the prize for starring actor. Anticipation was precocious for Timothée Chalamet, acknowledgment to his bold show successful “Marty Supreme” and an arsenic bold selling campaign. Instead, Washington read: “Robert Aramayo.”

Who? The British actor, already named the recipient of the Rising Star grant earlier successful the evening for his endearing show arsenic real-life Tourette’s syndrome campaigner John Davidson successful “I Swear” (releasing stateside Apr. 24), whitethorn person been shaken by his large win, but nary 1 was much amazed than the audience. Screams, cheers and cries of “Oh, my God” resonated passim the theater. In a stacked class that besides included American actors Leonardo DiCaprio, Michael B. Jordan, Jesse Plemons and Ethan Hawke, BAFTA voters opted to reward 1 of their own.

“I honestly cannot judge that I won this award,” Aramayo said, speaking done tears and axenic shock. He expressed admiration for each of his chap nominees, but singled retired Hawke successful particular.

“When I was successful school, Ethan Hawke came successful to talk to america astatine Juilliard and helium gave an astonishing speech connected longevity arsenic an actor, astir protecting your instrumentality and avoiding self-destructive behaviors,” Aramayo recalled. “And it had a truly large interaction connected everyone successful that room. So to beryllium successful this class with you contiguous is incredible.”

A antheral successful a tuxedo smiles astatine a podium.

“I Swear” yet took location 3 awards, 2 for Aramayo and 1 for casting. But the movie had a strong, sometimes arguable beingness successful the country beyond its trophies: In the film, Aramayo portrays Davidson, a notable advocator for Tourette’s syndrome consciousness who suffers from the disorder. Davidson himself attended the BAFTA Awards and his frequent, involuntary outbursts punctuated big Alan Cumming’s instauration and respective of the aboriginal grant presentations.

When “Sinners” stars Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo presented the archetypal grant of the night, for peculiar ocular effects, Davidson could beryllium heard shouting the N-word. It was edited retired of the broadcast connected BBC 1 and Davidson near his spot midway done the ceremony, but Cumming aboriginal addressed the concern to viewers.

“You whitethorn person heard immoderate strong, violative connection tonight, but if you’ve seen the movie ‘I Swear,’ it’s astir the acquisition of a idiosyncratic with Tourette’s syndrome,” the big explained. “The tics you person heard contiguous are involuntary — that means the idiosyncratic who has Tourette’s syndrome has nary power implicit their connection and we apologize if it has caused offense.”

The “Traitors” big proved himself to beryllium an amiable, good-natured BAFTAs anchor, changing his flamboyant, sequined suits respective times, erstwhile to an ornate achromatic ensemble successful grant of the costume category. He was the perfect prime for an awards amusement that tends to debar overt politics. Cumming hinted astatine ongoing planetary disquiet without going excessively acold oregon getting excessively pointed.

“Lies, corrupt leaders, poisoning and persecution of a race,” Cumming said, summing up the crippled of “Zootopia 2,” adding, “Too soon, Disney. Come on, people. Cut america immoderate slack here. Whatever happened to escapism?”

Winners kept their governmental views to a minimum. The ceremonial was edited and aired connected a delay, and this twelvemonth the BBC announced aboriginal that it was connected particularly precocious alert for immoderate comments that were perceived arsenic scandalous.

Director David Borenstein, accepting the documentary grant for “Mr. Nobody Against Putin,” reflected connected “how rapidly totalitarianism tin instrumentality implicit a school, a enactment place, a government, and however our complicity becomes substance successful that fire.” He thanked his co-director and taxable Pavel Talankin for “showing maine that nary substance however acheronian things get, whether it’s successful Russia oregon the streets of Minneapolis, we ever look a motivation choice.”

Akinola Davies Jr., who won the prize for outstanding debut by a British writer, manager oregon shaper for “My Father’s Shadow,” concluded his code by shouting “Free Palestine”— a enactment that did not marque the edited broadcast connected the BBC. It did rouse immense cheers successful the room.

Later successful the evening, Donna Langley, seat of Universal Pictures, was awarded the BAFTA Fellowship — the ceremony’s equivalent for a beingness accomplishment grant — for her contributions to the movie industry. The grant was bestowed connected her by Prince William, who attended with his wife, Princess Catherine.

“My anticipation is that those of america who assistance archer stories for a surviving proceed to find inspiration to marque fashionable creation that carries implicit into people’s mundane lives,” Langley said. “And reminds america that decency is simply a superpower.”

A carnivore successful a reddish chapeau stands astatine a podium astatine an awards show.

Moments of sweetness and sincerity marked these BAFTA Awards, acknowledgment successful portion to the beingness of Paddington Bear. The character, present played by a costumed actor, arrived courtesy of “Paddington the Musical,” which opened past twelvemonth connected the West End. He received much audible gasps than Kylie Jenner erstwhile helium strolled connected signifier to contiguous the children’s and household movie grant to “Boong.” Paddington was led disconnected signifier successful an adorable moment.

“Paddington — truthful cute,” Cumming sighed arsenic helium departed. “I conscionable privation to instrumentality him location with me. And it wouldn’t beryllium the archetypal clip I’ve taken location a South American bear.”

Although determination were immoderate notable upsets, similar “One Battle After Another” taking the cinematography prize implicit specified wide anticipated nominees arsenic “Train Dreams” and “Sinners,” galore of the winners felt inevitable. Paul Thomas Anderson scored the trifecta of adapted screenplay, manager and champion movie for “One Battle After Another.” His speeches went further disconnected the cuff with each consequent win. “I consciousness similar the prettiest miss successful the country close now,” helium quipped, accepting the manager trophy.

Anderson paid tribute to his adjunct manager and producer, British-born Adam Somner, who died successful November 2024 aft wrapping accumulation connected the film. “You whitethorn deliberation your top export is Alfred Hitchcock oregon Charlie Chaplin, but to maine it was Adam Somner,” Anderson said. “He made america each better.”

The filmmaker grew peculiarly animated by the clip the last grant was announced, much than 3 hours aft the ceremonial began. “Anybody that says movies aren’t immoderate bully anymore tin piss close off,” Anderson said.

This year’s awards play mostly has been a contention betwixt 2 front-runners, “One Battle After Another” and “Sinners.” Both recovered occurrence astatine the BAFTAs. Wunmi Mosaku won supporting histrion for “Sinners,” an affectional moment, portion Sean Penn (not successful attendance) won supporting histrion for “One Battle After Another.” Ryan Coogler won for his “Sinners” archetypal screenplay, becoming the archetypal Black recipient ever successful the category.

“I travel from a assemblage that loves me,” Coogler said. “They made maine judge that I could bash this, that I could beryllium a writer. And it was astonishing to beryllium accepted into the assemblage of movie actors, the assemblage of Los Angeles. For each the writers retired there, erstwhile you each look astatine that blank page, deliberation of who you love, deliberation of anybody who you’ve seen successful symptom that you place with and privation they felt better, and fto that emotion motivate you.”

“Hamnet,” different beardown Oscar contender, didn’t permission empty-handed. The Chloé Zhao-directed movie won the prize for outstanding British movie (17 radical came onstage to judge it) and Jessie Buckley won the starring histrion grant for her undeniable show arsenic Agnes, the grieving woman of William Shakespeare.

After forgetting her prepared remarks successful her spot and uncovering her bearings, Buckley delivered 1 of the night’s champion speeches.

“This truly does beryllium to the women past, contiguous and aboriginal who taught maine and proceed to thatch maine however to bash it differently,” she said, acknowledging her chap nominees Rose Byrne, Kate Hudson, Chase Infiniti, Renate Reinsve and Emma Stone. “You are each conscionable extremist and you are doing it for the naughty girls.”

She dedicated the grant to her daughter, who was six months aged erstwhile Buckley began campaigning for “Hamnet.” “It’s the champion relation of my beingness being your mum,” she said. “I committedness to proceed to beryllium disobedient truthful you tin beryllium to a satellite successful each your implicit wildness arsenic a young woman.”

Before the assemblage hurried retired of Royal Festival Hall, rushing to find their seats astatine the meal downstairs, Cumming offered a last thought. “Tonight we person welcomed radical from each implicit the world,” helium said, “people who look and dependable and emotion otherwise for a solemnisation of stories and ideas and culture. In fact, a solemnisation of diverseness and equality and inclusion.”

“And conjecture what?” helium concluded. “Nobody died. In fact, we laughed. A lot.”

It was his astir governmental connection of the nighttime and the 1 that rang the astir true.