Film4-backed The Favourite leads BAFTAs winning seven; Beast’s Outstanding Debut win makes it eight

Film4-backed films won eight BAFTA Awards last night, including seven for The Favourite, the leading film on the night.

Director of Film4 Daniel Battsek commented: “On behalf of Film4 we congratulate all our BAFTA award winners including Outstanding British Film for The Favourite & Outstanding Debut for Beast.” 

Olivia Colman continued her winning run collecting the award for Leading Actress, with co-star Rachel Weisz winning Supporting Actress. The Favourite also won Outstanding British Film, with screenwriters Deborah Davis and Tony McNamara picking up Best Original Screenplay. Sandy Powell won her third BAFTA for Costume Design, Fiona Crombie and Alice Felton won for Production Design and Nadia Stacey collected the award for Make Up & Hair.

Beast, whose producer Lauren Dark joined the Film4 team as Commissioning Exec in 2018, won the award for Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer, for Dark as well as director Michael Pearce.

Olivia Colman’s win marks the third time in four years that a Film4 backed film has produced the winner of BAFTA’s Leading Actress award, following Frances McDormand’s win for Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri last year and Brie Larson’s for Room in 2016.

It’s also the second consecutive year that Film4 films have won the awards for Outstanding British Film (won by Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri last year) and Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer (Rungano Nyoni and Emily Morgan won for I Am Not a Witch in 2018).