BAFTAs 2018: A fawn fest or a pivotal moment in the #MeToo movement?
Grab yourself some fish & chips, a glob of marmite, and some poor dental work, because the British Academy Film Awards were given out over the weekend and Blighty is abuzz. As in, literally, nobody has slept out of sheer excitement. We all know that these award ceremonies mean everything to the world, right? Especially when a single film is rewarded non-stop for seemingly no reason . . . * Yes, the UK held its very own little Oscars-warm-up on Sunday, by inviting a bunch of superstars to come and sit in the audience and fawn over this year’s BAFTA winners. As such, we’ve decided to look at some of the winners, the snubs, and the WTFs!
Winners and snubs recap
Guillermo del Toro took Best Director for The Shape of Water. Christopher Nolan’s Dunkirk received only Best Sound. Gary Oldman won Best Actor for Darkest Hour. Frances McDormand claimed Best Actress for Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. Roger Deakins won Best Cinematography for Blade Runner 2049. Baby Driver picked up Best Editing. Phantom Thread earned Best Costume Design. Darkest Hour won for Make Up and Hair.
Three Billboards controversy
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri collected five BAFTAs that night, including Best Film, Outstanding British Film, and Best Original Screenplay. The wins drew immediate pushback. Critics pointed to contrived storytelling and the redemptive arc given to the racist police officer Dixon. Observers noted that Martin McDonagh’s outsider perspective produced outdated tropes around race that undercut the film’s sharper edges on other issues.
#MeToo and #TimesUp solidarity
The red carpet went black in a direct echo of the Golden Globes precedent. Most guests wore black. Daniel Kaluuya arrived with a visible #TimesUp pin on his jacket. The coordinated dress code placed the movement in front of a wide television audience and kept the conversation about industry abuse visible on a major awards stage.
Ridley Scott Fellowship
Ridley Scott received the BAFTA Fellowship. The honor recognizes an outstanding contribution to film. Scott used his acceptance time to discuss his career, including the making of Blade Runner, and the moment gave the evening a reflective note amid the usual competitive pace.
Long-term Diversity Reforms at BAFTA
After the 2018 ceremony, BAFTA moved from statements to structural rules. Starting in 2019, films competing in British categories were required to meet BFI Diversity Standards. The 2020 diversity review produced more than 120 concrete changes to voting eligibility, membership criteria, and campaigning practices. Those adjustments addressed the narrow nomination pools that had drawn criticism in previous years and created measurable benchmarks for future ceremonies.
Legacy of Three Billboards' Awards Wins
The film’s five BAFTA victories remain part of its record. The Writers Guild later placed the screenplay among the strongest of the twenty-first century. At the same time, the race-related criticism has persisted in academic and critical writing. The tension between the film’s awards haul and its representational shortcomings continues to surface whenever the title is discussed in awards-season retrospectives.
Daniel Kaluuya's Rising Star Speech Context
Kaluuya’s Rising Star award came after nominations that included Timothée Chalamet. In his speech he thanked arts funding programs and grassroots theater support that shaped his early work. The moment stood out because it connected audience voting to a performer whose breakout role in Get Out had not yet received equivalent awards attention. Kaluuya’s later career trajectory, including major studio leads and further BAFTA recognition, traced back in part to that early visibility.
Roger Deakins' Career Milestones Post-2018
Deakins collected his first Oscar for Blade Runner 2049 on his fourteenth nomination. He later won a second Oscar for 1917. Across his career he has now earned five BAFTA awards for cinematography. The 2018 BAFTA win for Blade Runner 2049 marked the point where long-standing industry regard translated into major trophies.
Deakins cinematography win
The BAFTA for Blade Runner 2049 confirmed what many inside the craft already knew about Deakins’ command of light and composition. The subsequent Oscar win removed the long-standing narrative of the perennial nominee. His additional BAFTA wins and second Oscar for 1917 have placed him among the most decorated cinematographers working in features.
The 2018 BAFTAs captured a single night of winners and black dresses. The policy shifts, ongoing critical debates, and career milestones that followed show how that night fed into longer conversations about who gets recognized and how the industry chooses to adjust its own rules.
