‘All Quiet on the Western Front’ wins at 2023 BAFTA Awards

London: The German movie ‘All Quiet on the Western Front’ was the big winner at the British Academy Film Awards (BAFTA), winning seven trophies, including best film and best director. Irish black comedy ‘The Banshees of Inisherin’ and rock biopic ‘Elvis’ took four awards at the BAFTAs, which are the UK’s equivalent of Hollywood’s Academy Awards.

Hosted by Richard E Grant, the award ceremony was held at the Royal Festival Hall in London.

The ‘Best Film’ award went to ‘All Quiet on the Western Front’. Directed by Edward Berger, the anti-war film is based on the 1929 novel of the same name by Erich Maria Remarque. The movie received a total of 14 nominations for the BAFTAs. Set in the closing days of World War I, the movie follows the life of an idealistic young German soldier named Paul Baumer. After enlisting in the German Army with his friends, Baumer finds himself exposed to the realities of war, shattering his early hopes of becoming a hero as he does his best to survive.

While the award for ‘Best Director’ went to Edward Berger for ‘All Quiet on the Western Front’, the ‘Best Original Screenplay’ award was given to Martin McDonagh for ‘The Banshees of Inisherin’. The black comedy is set on a remote island off the west coast of Ireland. Featuring Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson, it follows two lifelong friends who find themselves at an impasse when one abruptly ends their relationship, with alarming consequences for both of them.

The ‘Best Adapted Screenplay’ award went to Edward Berger, Lesley Paterson and Ian Stokell for ‘All Quiet on the Western Front’. The honour ‘Best Actor’ award was bestowed on Austin Butler for ‘Elvis’. The biographical musical from filmmaker Baz Luhrmann featured Butler as Elvis Presley, the iconic musician known as the King of Rock and Roll, who ruled the 1960s and 1970s with his music and dance moves.

The ‘Best Actress’ award went to Cate Blanchett for ‘Tar’. This is her fourth BAFTA trophy. In the Todd Field-directed psychological drama, the Australian star plays Lydia Tar, the first female chief conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic, who is accused of sexual abuse.

The ‘Best Supporting Actor’ honour went to Barry Keoghan for ‘The Banshees of Inisherin’, while the ‘Best Supporting Actress’ award was given to Kerry Condon for ‘The Banshees of Inisherin’.

The ‘Best Film Not in the English Language’ award went to ‘All Quiet on the Western Front’, while the ‘Outstanding British Film’ award was clinched by ‘The Banshees of Inisherin’. The ‘Best Animated Film’ award went to ‘Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio’. The stop-motion animated musical film is based on the 1883 Italian novel ‘The Adventures of Pinocchio’. It reimagines the story of Pinocchio, a wooden puppet who comes to life as the son of his carver Geppetto.

The ‘Best Documentary’ honour was given to ‘Navalny’. Directed by Daniel Roher, ‘Navalny’ details the 2020 assassination attempt on Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who was poisoned with a military-grade nerve agent.

The ‘Best Editing’ award went to Paul Rogers for ‘Everything Everywhere All at Once’. It’s an absurdist comedy-drama starring Michelle Yeoh as a Chinese American woman who is being audited by the Internal Revenue Service and discovers she needs to connect with parallel universe versions of herself to stop a powerful being from destroying the multiverse.

While the ‘Best Cinematography’ award went to James Friend for ‘All Quiet on the Western Front’, the award for ‘Best Casting’ was given to Nikki Barrett and Denise Chamian for ‘Elvis’.