Last night saw the return of the British Academy Film Awards, honouring the best of the best in the film industry for over 75 years. Taking place at London's Royal Albert Hall and hosted by Rebel Wilson, the night was filled with emotional speeches, high fashion and iconic musical performances.
Ariana DeBose's acceptance speech
Ariana DeBose was awarded Supporting Actress for her performance in Steven Spielberg's West Side Story. Taking to the stage to accept her award, the first-time winner gave a poignant speech sharing: "I am someone who sings, dances, acts - I speak dance better than I speak English."
Emilia Jones' rendition of Both Sides Now
Nineteen-year-old actress Emilia Jones, who was also nominated for Best Actress, gave a heartfelt rendition of Joni Mitchell's Both Sides Now from the soundtrack of her 2021 film CODA. Honouring the film, Jones was joined on stage with two translators, one signing the song in American Sign Language (ASL) and the other in British Sign Language (BSL). CODA is a coming-of-age movie that tells the story of a girl with deaf parents. It took home BAFTA's for both Best Adapted Screenplay and Supporting Actor.
Troy Kotsur's Supporting Actor win
Accepting his award in ASL, Troy Kotsur took home the award for Supporting Actor for his role in CODA. Making history as the first deaf male performer to win a BAFTA in a major category, Kotsur hilariously took the opportunity in his acceptance speech to pitch his idea to be the first "deaf James Bond."
Dame Shirley Bassey's performance
Speaking of James Bond, in celebration of 60 years of Bond, Dame Shirley Bassey gave an unforgettable performance of Diamonds Are Forever to open the show. The 85-year-old looked magnificent in a gold sequinned dress and left everyone on their feet after her performance.
Lashana Lynch's big win
This year's Rising Star award went to Bond actress Lashana Lynch, who played MI6 agent Nomi in No Time To Die. In an emotional speech, Lashana thanked her supportive parents and her "working-class foundation" saying it "taught me everything I needed to know about failure, about no's, about what no's mean and how to celebrate your yes's."
Let us know your favourite moments from last night's BAFTAs in the comments below!
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