'Conclave' triumphs at BAFTAs before the Oscars

(AFP) “Conclave,” a British-U.S. thriller about the process of electing a pope, emerged as a big winner at the BAFTA Awards in London on Sunday, taking home four awards, including Best Film—just two weeks before the Oscars.

The film, directed by German filmmaker Edward Berger, entered the awards with 12 nominations and won Best Film at the ceremony held at London’s Royal Festival Hall, beating "The Brutalist," "A Perfect Stranger," "Anora," and "Emilia Perez."

Conclave lso won awards for Best British Film, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Editing.

Upon receiving the award, Berger reflected on the film’s seven-year journey and paid tribute to Britain's Peter Straughan for his "wonderful screenplay" as well as lead actor Ralph Fiennes.

'The Brutalist,' the other winner

"The Brutalist," which entered the BAFTA Awards with nine nominations, was the night’s other big winner, also earning four awards, including Best Director for Brady Corbet and Best Actor for Adrien Brody.

"The Brutalist," a three-hour epic about an architect who survives the Holocaust and pursues the American Dream, also won awards for Best Original Score and Best Cinematography.

The French-Belgian production “Emilia Perez,” which had 11 BAFTA nominations, appeared to lose momentum amid several controversies, including xenophobic tweets from its lead actress, Spanish-born Karla Sofia Gascon, who was nominated for Best Actress, ultimately won two awards.

The film directed by French filmmaker Jacques Audiard, which tells the story of a Mexican drug trafficker who decides to change gender, won two awards: Best Supporting Actress, which went to Dominican-American Zoe Saldaña, and Best Foreign Language Film, beating the Brazilian “I’m Still Here.”

“Emilia Perez” did not win an award, despite competing against the Brazilian feature film directed by Walter Salles. The film, which is nominated for three Oscars on March 2, tells the story of Congressman Rubens Paiva, who was assassinated during the dictatorship in 1971.

Two awards for “Emilia Perez”

Jacques Audiard, the director of “Emilia Perez,” whose film has been nominated in 13 Oscar categories and faced criticism for its portrayal of Mexico, expressed his gratitude upon receiving the award for Best Foreign Language Film. He thanked the "wonderful talents" involved, specifically naming his "beloved" Zoe Saldaña and Selena Gomez.

He also named Spanish actress Karla Sofía Gascón, who did not attend the ceremony amid controversy over her xenophobic tweets that she posted in the past.

Saldaña, 46, who took home the best supporting actress award for her portrayal of lawyer Rita in “Emilia Perez,” said the character "became special" to her.

Saldaña added that the fact that the film was in Spanish, her first language, allowed her to "connect my culture with my art. It was meaningful to me," she added.

American Mikey Madison won the best actress award for her role as a stripper in Anora, a thriller directed by Sean Baker.

The best supporting actor award went to Kieran Culkin for his role in “A Royal Pain,” a film about American Jewish cousins who travel to Poland in honor of their grandmother.