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The Artist, Streep sweep Baftas


Nevil Gibson
Mon, 13 Feb 2012

The French silent movie The Artist confirmed its front-runner status for the Oscars by sweeping the British equivalent.

At the British Film Academy Awards (Baftas) The Artist took seven prizes, including best film, best director and best actor, for its star Jean Dujardin. Director Michel Hazanavicius also picked up the best original screenplay prize.

Meryl Streep won best actress, for The Iron Lady, while Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy won outstanding British film.

The Artist, which started screening in New Zealand last week, is the story of silent movie actor George Valentin (Dujardin) whose career is surpassed by his love interest Peppy Miller (Hazanavicius' wife Berenice Bejo ), who becomes a star of the "talkies."

The film, which is the punters’ favourite for best picture at the Hollywood Academy Awards on February 27 (NZ time), also won prizes for best original score, cinematography and costume design.

Streep’s portrayal of Margaret Thatcher in The Iron Lady won the make-up and hair Bafta.

Octavia Spencer beat Jessica Chastain, her co-star in the US civil rights drama The Help, to win best supporting actress.

The best supporting actor award went to Christopher Plummer, 82, who won for his role as an elderly father who comes out as gay in Beginners.

Martin Scorsese's 3D epic Hugo – which is other main contender at the Oscars –won prizes for production design and sound. Scorcese was made a fellow of the Bafta.

Rango was judged best animated film while the best foreign film was Spanish director Pedro Almovodar’s The Skin I Live In.
 

Nevil Gibson
Mon, 13 Feb 2012
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The Artist, Streep sweep Baftas
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