Conclave and The Brutalist Triumph at 2025 BAFTA Film Awards

2025-03-02

Edward Berger’s Conclave emerged as the big winner at the 2025 BAFTA Film Awards, held on 16 February at London’s Royal Festival Hall. The Vatican-set drama, based on Robert Harris’s 2016 novel, secured four awards, including Best Film and Outstanding British Film. It also triumphed in the Adapted Screenplay and Editing categories. Berger, who previously swept the BAFTAs with All Quiet on the Western Front, praised his ensemble cast, calling their work “pure magic.”

The film’s success was matched by Brady Corbet’s The Brutalist, which also claimed four awards, including Best Director for Corbet and Best Actor for Adrien Brody. Brody, who won for his portrayal of Hungarian architect Lazlo Toth, described the accolade as “incredibly meaningful,” adding that England had felt like home to him recently. The Brutalist also took home awards for Cinematography and Original Score.

In a surprise win, Mikey Madison clinched Best Actress for her breakout role in Anora, a film about a Brooklyn sex worker. Madison used her acceptance speech to honour the sex worker community, stating, “I see you. You deserve respect and human decency.” Anora also won the Casting award.

Elsewhere, Emilia Perez won Best Film Not in the English Language and Best Supporting Actress for Zoe Saldana, who delivered an emotional speech about representation and validation. The Irish music-comedy Kneecap took Outstanding Debut, while Wallace and Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl won both the Children’s and Family Film and Animated Film categories.

The evening was hosted by David Tennant, who opened the show with a rendition of I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles), joined by audience members including James McAvoy and Anna Kendrick. Warwick Davis was awarded the prestigious BAFTA Fellowship, and MediCinema received the Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema award.

The awards solidified Conclave and The Brutalist as frontrunners heading into the Oscars, with both films expected to feature prominently in the upcoming ceremony.

BAFTAs 2025: Mikey Madison and Adrien Brody among the big winners at BAFTAs - as Conclave takes top film prize

Adrien Brody, Mikey Madison, Kieran Culkin and Zoe Saldana took home the BAFTA actor awards, while Conclave and The Brutalist were joint-winners takin

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