Success for Directors UK members at 2021 BAFTA Film Awards

Directors UK members picked up awards in both factual and fiction categories at the 2021 BAFTA Awards this weekend, in a terrific celebration of the craft of filmmaking. 

Taking place over two days, this year’s BAFTA awards were held at socially distant ceremonies at London’s Royal Albert Hall. In the first of the ceremonies, we were thrilled to see success for Directors UK member Mole Hill, who took home the award for British Short Animation. You can see Mole’s acceptance speech below. 

Meanwhile, at Sunday’s ceremony, Directors UK member James Reed and Pippa Ehrlich saw their film My Octopus Teacher take home the award for Best Documentary. 

Later on Sunday evening, the award for Best Director was taken home by Chloé Zhao, whose film Nomadland also won for Best Picture, Cinematography and Leading Actress. Zhao became only the second woman director to take home the award, following Kathryn Bigelow in 2010. We were lucky enough to welcome Chloé and Bafta-winning DoP Joshua James Richards in conversation with Asif Kapadia on the Directors UK Podcast. You can listen here. 

Elsewhere, Promising Young Woman, directed by Emerald Fennell, took home the award for Outstanding British Film. Emerald – who also won for Original Screenplay – joined Richard Curtis for a Directors UK member event earlier this year, where she spoke about her filmmaking process. You can listen to the conversation on the Directors UK Podcast. 

Meanwhile, Remi Weekes – director of the multi-BAFTA nominated His House – took home the award for Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer. Remi spoke to Anna Bogutskaya about the making of His House at a member event earlier this year – listen on the Directors UK Podcast. 

Another Round, directed by Thomas Vinterberg, won the Award for Best Film Not in the English Language. You can listen to Thomas in conversation with Paolo Sorrentino on the Directors UK Podcast. 

This year’s BAFTAs came after an extensive review of voting procedures, resulting in some encouragingly inclusive and exciting nominations. Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, Susanna White – Vice Chair of Directors UK and a contributor to the BAFTA review – said that she found the nominations inspiring: “It’s an august institution, and you might think that wheels would turn slowly. But actually, it was just by saying: ‘Yes, change is possible when you commit to it.’ It’s actually not that hard.”

Congratulations from Directors UK to all of this year’s winners and nominees. You can read a full list here.