Conclave and The Brutalist win big at the Baftas

At the recently concluded British Academy Film Awards (Bafta), two films emerged as the biggest winners: one was the drama "Conclave," which tells the inside story of a papal election, and the other was the epic film about immigration, "The Brutalist."

"Conclave," directed by German director Edward Berger, won a total of four awards, including Best Film and Best British Film. This marks the first time since the 2019 war film "1917" that a film has swept both awards in the same year. In addition, the film also won Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Editing.

American filmmaker Brady Corbet's "The Brutalist" also took home four awards. Corbet himself won the Best Director award, while Adrien Brody won Best Actor for his outstanding portrayal of László Toth, a Hungarian architect and Holocaust survivor. "The Brutalist" also won Best Original Score and Best Cinematography.

Other winners included Mikey Madison (Best Actress for "Anora"), Kieran Culkin (Best Supporting Actor for "A Real Pain"), and Zoe Saldana (Best Supporting Actress for "Emilia Pérez").

"Anora" tells the story of a whirlwind romance between a New York stripper and the son of a Russian oligarch. Prior to the Oscars, the film had been highly anticipated and considered a strong contender for Best Picture, but ultimately only won Best Actress and Best Casting. Mikey Madison's win for Best Actress was somewhat unexpected, despite her outstanding performance in Sean Baker's film. Madison said upon accepting the award: "Wow, I really didn't expect this. I probably should have listened to my publicist and written a speech or something!"

Starring Demi Moore, "The Substance" is a body horror film about a 50-something television aerobics host who takes black market drugs to create a younger, more beautiful version of herself. The film's gory special effects have made it a strong contender for similar awards at next month's Oscars. At this year's British Academy Film Awards, the film only won Best Makeup and Hair.

In his acceptance speech, Edward Berger said he was "deeply moved" to receive the Best Film award, and that winning Best British Film was a "huge, huge honor." He added, "Best British Film, and I'm not even British, so I feel very welcome." The British Academy Film Awards rules state that films in this category "must have significant creative involvement from British personnel."

Brody told the audience while accepting the Best Actor award that "The Brutalist" is "really about the pursuit of leaving something meaningful behind," while Corbet said he "felt honored and very grateful."

The ceremony was hosted by David Tennant at the Royal Festival Hall in London. The actor, wearing a kilt, kicked off the ceremony with a rendition of The Proclaimers' classic song "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)," joined by stars such as James McAvoy and Colman Domingo.

This year's awards season has been unpredictable, and the British Academy Film Awards followed a similar pattern, with no single film sweeping the board, but rather several films sharing the awards.

"Emilia Pérez" is a French film about a dangerous Mexican drug lord who decides to leave the criminal world and start a new life as a woman. The film has been controversial in recent weeks due to offensive comments made on social media by its star, Karla Sofía Gascón. Ultimately, the film won Best International Film, and Zoe Saldana also won Best Supporting Actress.

Warwick Davis was awarded the British Academy Fellowship, the highest honor bestowed by the British Academy. He thanked his mother - his "first agent" - and his "wonderful wife Sammy, who passed away nearly a year ago."

The "In Memoriam" segment paid tribute to film industry figures who passed away in the past year, including Maggie Smith, James Earl Jones, David Lynch, Joan Plowright, and Donald Sutherland, among others.

Other winners included Denis Villeneuve's "Dune: Part Two," which won Best Special Visual Effects and Best Sound. The hit musical film "Wicked" won Best Production Design, designed by Brits Nathan Crowley and Lee Sandales. This was Crowley's first BAFTA win, and his sixth nomination, while Sandales had previously won twice. The film also won Best Costume Design.

Aardman Animations' latest Wallace and Gromit film, "Vengeance Most Fowl," won Best Animated Film - surprisingly, their first win in this category. They also won the inaugural Best Children's and Family Film award.

West Belfast rap group Kneecap won the Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer award. The Irish-language film is based on a semi-fictionalized account of the band's formation.

The film "Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story," about the life of Superman star Christopher Reeve, won Best Documentary. Reeve was paralyzed in a horse riding accident 10 years before his death in 2004. His children took to the stage to commemorate their late father.