BAFTAs 2021: 8 Ups & 7 Downs
BAFTA makes most of the right choices, but tees up an incredibly predictable Oscars.
The final major milestone on the road to the Oscars has now taken place, with the 74th British Academy Film Awards (BAFTAs) unfolding over two nights this past weekend.
While the BAFTAs do have a certain degree of overlap with the Academy Awards, it's also important to note their tendency to favour their own homegrown talents, a bias which means they're far from a reliable indicator of Oscar success.
All the same, this year's show saw impressively little in the way of truly baffling awards wins, while a few surprise victories left awards obsessives considering the state of the Oscar race going forward.
More than anything, this year's BAFTAs were a triumph for diversity and inclusion, proving that the recently revised voting guidelines have had a positive impact on the slate of nominees and winners.
While this year's BAFTA ceremony lacked the usual pomp and circumstance due to the constraints of the pandemic - as a result, no Cirque du Soleil this time - it overall made the best of the current global situation and delivered a show worthy of the BAFTAs' classy reputation...