[Source: Reuters]

Papal selection thriller “Conclave” and period drama “The Brutalist” were the big winners at the BAFTA Film Awards on Sunday, winning four prizes each.

“Conclave”, which had led nominations with 12 nods, won the night’s most coveted award, best film, as well as outstanding British film, best adapted screenplay and best editing.

“We live in a time of a crisis of democracy and institutions that are usually used to bring us together are used to pull us apart,” “Conclave” director Edward Berger said in his acceptance speech for the outstanding British film award.

“And sometimes it’s hard to keep the faith in that situation but that’s why we make movies and that’s why we made this movie.”

“The Brutalist”, a three-and-a-half hour tale about a Hungarian immigrant architect trying to rebuild his life in the United States post-World War Two, had also been considered a frontrunner for best film. It won best director for Brady Corbet and best actor for its star, Adrien Brody.

“This film is really about this pursuit of leaving something meaningful and I think that is something we can all relate to,” Brody said in his acceptance speech.

“The Brutalist” also won original score and cinematography.

In one of the big surprises of the night, Mikey Madison won the leading actress category for portraying an exotic dancer who gets involved with a Russian oligarch’s son in “Anora”.

Many had considered the frontrunners to be Demi Moore, who has received multiple honours for her performance in body horror “The Substance”, and Briton Marianne Jean-Baptiste, for her critically acclaimed portrayal of a woman struggling with depression in “Hard Truths”.

“I really wasn’t expecting this,” Madison said.

“I want to take to a moment to recognise the sex worker community … you deserve respect and human decency. I will always be your friend.”

“Anora”, considered a strong awards season contender after it and director Sean Baker triumphed at the Critics Choice Awards, as well as the Producers and Directors Guild of America Awards ahead of next month’s Academy Awards, was also up for best film, as was Bob Dylan biopic “A Complete Unknown”.