Film News: ‘The Artist’ Dominates BAFTA Awards With Seven Wins

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CHICAGO – Just as it is predicted to do two Sundays from today, “The Artist” dominated the British Academy Film Awards (BAFTAs) today, winning seven different awards. The silent, black-and-white film won Best Film, Best Director (Michel Hazanavicius), and Best Lead Actor (Jean Dujardin), and four other wins.

The wins for “The Artist” just helped give more momentum to a film that is already predicted to take the top prize at the Academy Awards on February 26. While the BAFTAs and Academy Awards don’t always see eye-to-eye on the Best Film award, they have selected the same winner the past three years.

In the other major categories, Meryl Streep won Best Lead Actress for “The Iron Lady,” Christopher Plummer won Best Supporting Actor for “Beginners,” and Octavia Spencer won Best Supporting Actress for “The Help.” “The Artist” also won for Best Original Screenplay, while “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy” won Best Adapted Screenplay. “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy” also won Outstanding British Film.

The only major surprises at the BAFTAs came from the Best Film Not in the English Language, which was awarded to “The Skin I Live In” rather than “A Separation” (which has swept awards everywhere else), and Best Editing being given to the documentary “Senna” (which also won Best Documentary) instead of “The Artist.” Generally, Best Film tends to also win Best Editing at most award shows, but “The Artist” was unable to pick up an eighth BAFTA.

See the full list of winners below:

Best Film: “The Artist”

Outstanding British Film: “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy”

Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer: “Tyrannosaur,” Paddy Considine (director), Diarmid Scrimshaw (producer)

Film Not in the English Language: “The Skin I Live In”

Documentary: “Senna”

Animated Film: “Rango”

Director: Michel Hazanavicius, “The Artist”

Original Screenplay: “The Artist,” Michel Hazanavicius

Adapted Screenplay: “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy,” Bridget O’Connor and Peter Straughan

Leading Actor: Jean Dujardin, “The Artist”

Leading Actress: Meryl Streep, “The Iron Lady”

Supporting Actor: Christopher Plummer, “Beginners”

Supporting Actress: Octavia Spencer, “The Help”

Original Music: Ludovic Bource, “The Artist”

Cinematography: Guillaume Schiffman, “The Artist”

Editing: “Senna,” Gregers Sall and Chris King

Production Design: “Hugo,” Dante Ferretti, Francesca Lo Shiavo

Costume Design: “The Artist,” Mark Bridges

Make Up & Hair: “The Iron Lady,” Mark Coulier, J. Roy Helland, Marese Langan

Sound: “Hugo,” Philip Stockton, Eugene Gearty, Tom Fleischman and John Midgley

Special Visual Effects: “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2,” Tim Burke, John Richardson, Greg Butler and David Vickery

Short Animation: “A Morning Stroll,” Grant Orchard and Sue Goffe

Short Film: “Pitch Black Heist,” John Maclean and Gerardine O’Flynn

By TIM MARTENS Staff Writer HollywoodChicago.com tim@hollywoodchicago.com