American actor Kieran Culkin and actress Zoe Saldana have been named the winners in the supporting actor categories at the Bafta film awards.
Culkin, 42, won for his role in Jesse Eisenberg’s comedy drama A Real Pain, about two cousins who explore their Jewish grandmother’s roots in Poland, while Saldana won for her role in Netflix film Emilia Perez.
Succession star Culkin did not attend the ceremony on Sunday, and his co-star and the film’s director Eisenberg accepted on his behalf, joking that it was “like the fifth” one he has done for the actor.
“We have a similar life, but his is 20% better than mine,” he added.
An emotional Saldana, 46, thanked her mother for “being such a selfless person”, before breaking down in tears, and added: “Films are supposed to change hearts and challenge minds and I hope Emilia Perez did something like this, because voices need to be heard, just not my English accent.”
American actress Saldana beat fellow Emilia Perez co-star Selena Gomez, as well as Wicked star Ariana Grande, to win the category.
Papal drama Conclave, starring Ralph Fiennes, won outstanding British film, while the Bafta for make-up and hair went to body horror The Substance, and the gong for costume design was scooped up by musical Wicked.
Elsewhere, animated film Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl was named the winner of the children’s and family film award at the ceremony, which is being held at the Royal Festival Hall at London’s Southbank Centre for the second year.
The children’s and family film award is a new category this year, and the first new category to be introduced to the EE Bafta film awards in five years.
The Aardman film also won the Bafta for animated film, with director Nick Park joking: “I didn’t actually write a second speech.”
Also taking home gongs at the ceremony, hosted for a second year by Doctor Who and Rivals star David Tennant, was Denis Villeneuve’s Dune: Part Two, which won the first award of the night when it scored the prize for special visual effects.
Stars of Netflix film Emilia Perez, Gomez and Saldana, presented the outstanding debut by a British writer, director, and producer award to Kneecap director Rich Peppiatt.
British director Peppiatt said “it’s funny how life works”, before saying that he met his wife, and then moved to Belfast, and that was where he met Northern Irish rap trio Kneecap.
He added that Kneecap was a “movement”, and “everyone should have their language respected, their culture respected”, following him making the Irish language movie, which was nominated in six Bafta categories.
Musical Emilia Perez was also among the night’s earlier winners, winning the gong for film not in the English language, having been the second-most nominated title at this year’s Bafta film awards, with 11 nominations in total.
Accepting the prize the film’s French director Jacques Audiard said he was “touched”, and said the prize “was for everyone who worked tirelessly on this film”.
He also paid tribute to his fellow nominees from Ireland’s Kneecap and Brazil’s I’m Not There.
Audiard added that “he would like to thank the wonderful talents”, and also named his “dear Zoe” (Saldana), and “Selena”.
He also named Spanish actress Karla Sofia Gascon, who he called “dear”, who is not attending the ceremony amid controversy about her past tweets.
