By Garry Maddox
The Power of the Dog has continued a triumphant march towards the Oscars at the British Academy Awards in London.
Jane Campion’s western won best film and best director, with Australian cinematographer Greig Fraser also winning a BAFTA for shooting Dune.
Rebel Wilson on the red carpet for the BAFTAs.Credit: Getty
The BAFTA Film Awards were hosted by Rebel Wilson, who gave a middle finger to Russian President Vladimir Putin in one of a number of references during the awards to the war in Ukraine.
At a full house at Royal Albert Hall after the pandemic forced a virtual event last year, Australian producer Emile Sherman joined Tanya Seghatchian and Iain Canning in collecting the best film award in Campion’s absence.
Australian actor Kodi Smit-McPhee (The Power of the Dog) was pipped for best supporting actor by Troy Kotsur (CODA), who joked in sign language that it was time for a deaf James Bond.
Smit-McPhee was also nominated for the rising star award that went to Lashana Lynch for No Time to Die.
Kodi Smit-McPhee at the awards, where he was nominated for The Power of the Dog. Credit: Getty
Also in contention for a BAFTA was Australian cinematographer Ari Wegner (The Power Of The Dog). She lost out to Fraser, who could not attend after testing positive for COVID-19 just before the awards. In a statement, he thanked the crew, wife Jodie and director Denis Villeneuve, saying, “I am grateful you took me on this journey with you and I can’t wait to see where it takes us next.”
The BAFTAs continues the awards season success for The Power of the Dog, an Australian-New Zealand co-production made for Netflix that is favoured to win three Oscars for Campion – best picture, director and adapted screenplay – later this month.
Dune, which led the BAFTA nominations, had five wins in craft categories.
Will Smith won best actor for King Richard, with little-known Joanna Scanlan winning best actress for the drama After Love and Ariana DeBose winning best supporting actress for West Side Story.
Australia’s Emile Sherman (right) with fellow producers Iain Canning and Tanya Seghatchian with the best film award for The Power of the Dog at the BAFTAS.Credit: AP
The award for outstanding British film went to Belfast.
After BAFTA chair Krishnendu Majumdar opened the BAFTAs by paying homage to the people of Ukraine and all those covering the war, including many BAFTA members, Shirley Bassey received a standing ovation for a rousing version of the James Bond theme song Diamonds Are Forever.
As host, Wilson joked about the awards, the film industry and herself.
“You guys might be like ‘Why is Rebel Wilson hosting the BAFTAs?’ ” she said. “I come from the bush, but if you think about it, don’t we all.”
Referring to her weight loss, Wilson said: “Since 2020, I’ve done quite a transformation ... I’m so excited I can play the non-funny love interest in an Adam Sandler movie.”
She noted the box office success of The Batman: “Ironic that one man and a bat started the whole thing.”
Wilson’s most political comment – or gesture really – came while introducing Emilia Jones’ performance of Both Sides Now from CODA, about a teenage girl who is the only hearing member of a deaf family. She said the song was being described in both sign languages ASL and BSL but added her own sign – a middle finger to Putin.
Before announcing Campion’s best director award, Andy Serkis referred to British Home Secretary Priti Patel’s slowness in welcoming Ukrainian refugees to Britain.
Before the ceremony started, there was another political moment when a small group of climate activists shouted “Just look up, just stop oil” on the red carpet in a reference to the Netflix film Don’t Look Up.
The BAFTAs capped off a triumphant weekend for Campion who also won at the Directors Guild of America Awards in Los Angeles.
While the BAFTAs are not considered a strong indicator of Academy Awards success, the DGA winner almost always wins best director at the Academy Awards – missing only seven times since 1949.
Campion also cleverly shut down actor Sam Elliott who described The Power of the Dog on a podcast as “a piece of shit,” with “allusions of homosexuality”, adding: “What the f--- does this woman from down there know about the American West?”
On the red carpet for the DGA Awards, Campion told Deadline Hollywood that it was sad that Elliott “hit the trifecta of misogyny and xenophobia and homophobia”.
“I think he was being a little bit of a B-I-T-C-H,” she said. “Plus he’s not a cowboy, he’s an actor.”
Troy Kotsur with his award for best supporting actor for CODA. Credit: Getty
Campion joked that the only way to settle the dispute was in true Western style: with a shootout and The Power of the Dog star Benedict Cumberbatch by her side.
“When [Elliott] gets out of hair and make-up, I’ll meet him down at the OK Corral on the set with Doctor Strange, and we will shoot it out,” she said.
Joanna Scanlan won best actress for After Love. Credit: Getty
The Oscars are on March 28 Australian time.
The Power of the Dog leads the nominations with 12, followed by Dune with 10 and both Belfast andWest Side Story with seven.
With wires
Find out the next TV, streaming series and movies to add to your must-sees. Get The Watchlist delivered every Thursday.
Email the writer at gmaddox@smh.com.au and follow him on Twitter at @gmaddox.