79th British Academy Film Awards, 'One Battle After Another' Wins 6 Awards

At the 79th British Academy Film Awards (BAFTA), Paul Thomas Anderson's 〈One Battle After Another〉 swept six categories, including Best Picture and Best Director, earning the honor of most awards.

According to the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA), at the awards ceremony held on the 22nd (local time) at the Royal Festival Hall in London, 〈One Battle After Another〉 won Best Picture, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Editing, and Best Supporting Actor.

Set against a fictional America where ideological conflicts have escalated to extremes, this political thriller follows a man who once dreamed of revolution as he faces a series of political and moral dilemmas while trying to rescue his kidnapped daughter.

In his acceptance speech for Best Director, Anderson said, "I brought the lyrics from Nina Simone's song, 'I know what freedom is, it's not being afraid.' So let's continue to create works without fear." His acceptance speech drew attention in the hall, as he is regarded as a master of American auteur cinema who has triumphed at the three major film festivals. Sean Penn, who played a ruthless military leader, won Best Supporting Actor for this film.

The biggest upset of the day came in the Best Actor category. Robert Aramayo, who portrayed Tourette syndrome activist John Davidson in 〈I Swear〉, beat out strong contenders like Timothée Chalamet (〈Marty Supreme〉) and Leonardo DiCaprio (〈One Battle After Another〉) to take home the Best Actor award. Aramayo also won the Best Newcomer award, making him a double winner.

The Best Actress award went to Jessie Buckley, who played Agnes, the wife of William Shakespeare, in Chloe Zhao's film 〈Hamnet〉, which deals with the creative process of Shakespeare's tragedy 「Hamlet」. The Best Supporting Actress award went to Wunmi Mosaku for her role in Ryan Coogler's vampire thriller 〈Sinus〉.

The film 〈Hamnet〉, a strong contender for Best Picture, won the British Film Award, while 〈Sinus〉, also mentioned in the Best Picture race, won awards for Best Screenplay and Best Music.