Sam Mendes war epic 1917 wins big at Baftas, takes pole position for the Oscars
- Film scooped seven of the nine prizes it was nominated for at Britain’s top film awards
- Other winners included Joker, South Korean comedy thriller Parasite, The Irishman, and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Sweeping World War I odyssey 1917 won big at Sunday’s Bafta awards, landing the best film prize and best director trophy for Sam Mendes, and putting it in line for potential Oscars glory next weekend.
The movie, which follows two British soldiers on a perilous mission across no man’s land, had already scooped the Golden Globe for best drama, and has 10 Academy Award nominations including for best picture.
Hailed as a groundbreaking piece of cinema, it scooped seven of the nine prizes it was nominated for at Britain’s top film awards, including in cinematography, production design, sound and special visual effects.
“It’s moving for me to get this in my hometown for the first time,” said Mendes, the first British winner of the best director Bafta since Danny Boyle prevailed in 2009 for Slumdog Millionaire.
“Thank you to all the people who have gone to see this in the cinemas,” he told the star-studded ceremony at the Royal Albert Hall in London.
