BAFTA AWARDS 2021: ‘MA RAINEY’S BLACK BOTTOM’ PICKS TWO AWARDS

LONDON: The unconventional 74th edition of the British Academy Film Awards (BAFTAs) held its first of two ceremonies on April 10, with the second one scheduled for the subsequent day. ‘Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom’ was the big winner on the opening night, taking home two golden masks.

According to Variety, the first night of the 2021 BAFTAs, which was hosted virtually from London’s Royal Albert Hall by TV and BBC radio presenter Clara Amfo, was a mostly craft-centered affair that also yielded wins for ‘Mank’, ‘Tenet’ and ‘Sound of Metal’. During the ceremony, eight primarily craft-focussed awards were handed out, including casting, costume, makeup and hair, production design, sound, special visual effects, British short film, and British short animation. The remaining awards — including the performance and best film categories will be handed out on the second night.

‘Rocks’ was the first winner, with Lucy Pardee scooping the award for Casting. The UK indie movie was nominated for a leading seven BAFTAs this year, joint most with ‘Nomadland’, which is a hot favourite for the Best Film prize on the second night.

Director and writer Noel Clarke, best known for the ‘Kidulthood’ film trilogy were honoured with the outstanding British contribution to cinema award. Supporting actor nominee Leslie Odom Jr. performed ‘Speak Now’, his Oscar-nominated song from One Night in Miami, for which he has earned a best-supporting actor BAFTA nomination.

Unsurprisingly, Netflix had a good evening, following its mammoth 34 nominations, by far the leading number for a distributor this year. The streamer took home prizes including Costume Design and Hair & Make-up, which both went to ‘Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom’s’, and Production Design, which was scooped by ‘Mank’.