BAFTA 2025 Winners: ‘Conclave’ Dominates, Zoe Saldana shines

The 2025 BAFTA Film Awards celebrated cinematic excellence with a diverse array of winners.

The night’s biggest victor was “Conclave,” which secured four awards, including Best Film and Outstanding British Film. Directed by Edward Berger, the film also earned accolades for Best Adapted Screenplay and Editing. Matching its four-award haul was Brady Corbet’s “The Brutalist,” which triumphed in categories such as Best Director for Corbet, Best Actor for Adrien Brody, Best Cinematography, and Best Score.

Mikey Madison took home the Best Leading Actress award for her performance in “Anora,” which also won Best Casting. Zoe Saldaña claimed Best Supporting Actress for “Emilia Pérez,” while the film also won Best Film Not in the English Language for director Jacques Audiard and Pascal Caucheteux.

Kieran Culkin received Best Supporting Actor for “A Real Pain,” while Jesse Eisenberg’s work on the film was recognized with Best Original Screenplay. The Best Documentary award went to “Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story,” with Reeve’s children receiving an emotional round of applause during the ceremony. “Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl” won Best Animated Film and the inaugural Children’s and Family award.

The ceremony, hosted by David Tennant at London’s Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall, featured performances by British pop legends Take That and a musical tribute by Jeff Goldblum during the In Memoriam segment. Warwick Davis was honored with the BAFTA Fellowship, receiving a heartfelt standing ovation.

The night also saw recognition for emerging talent, with Mikey Madison among those nominated for the Rising Star award. While “Conclave” led nominations with 12, “Emilia Pérez” and “The Brutalist” followed closely with 11 and nine, respectively. Director Rich Peppiatt made history with his film “Kneecap,” earning six nominations—the most ever for a debut filmmaker—securing one win for Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director, or Producer.

However, the night was not without controversy, as “Emilia Pérez” star Karla Sofía Gascón was absent from the event after being phased out of Netflix’s awards campaign due to past controversial social media posts. Despite the tensions, director Jacques Audiard acknowledged her in his speech, offering a message of support.

Here is the full list of winners:

Best Film

• ANORA – Alex Coco, Samantha Quan, Sean Baker
• THE BRUTALIST – Nick Gordon, Brian Young, Andrew Morrison, D.J. Gugenheim, Brady Corbet
• A COMPLETE UNKNOWN – Fred Berger, Alex Heineman, James Mangold
• CONCLAVE – Tessa Ross, Juliette Howell, Michael A. Jackman
• EMILIA PÉREZ – Pascal Caucheteux, Jacques Audiard

Leading Actress

• Cynthia Erivo – Wicked
• Karla Sofía Gascón – Emilia Pérez
• Marianne Jean-Baptiste – Hard Truths
• Mikey Madison – Anora
• Demi Moore – The Substance
• Saoirse Ronan – The Outrun

Leading Actor

• Adrien Brody – The Brutalist
• Timothée Chalamet – A Complete Unknown
• Colman Domingo – Sing Sing
• Ralph Fiennes – Conclave
• Hugh Grant – Heretic
• Sebastian Stan – The Apprentice

Director

• Anora – Sean Baker
• The Brutalist – Brady Corbet
• Conclave – Edward Berger
• Dune: Part Two – Denis Villeneuve
• Emilia Pérez – Jacques Audiard
• The Substance – Coralie Fargeat

Rising Star

• Marisa Abela
• Jharrel Jerome
• David Jonsson
• Mikey Madison
• Nabhaan Rizwan

Outstanding British Film

• Bird
• Blitz
• Conclave
• Gladiator II
• Hard Truths
• Kneecap
• Lee
• Love Lies Bleeding
• The Outrun
• Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl

Best Supporting Actress

• Selena Gomez – Emilia Pérez
• Ariana Grande – Wicked
• Felicity Jones – The Brutalist
• Jamie Lee Curtis – The Last Showgirl
• Isabella Rossellini – Conclave
• Zoe Saldaña – Emilia Pérez

Best Supporting Actor

• Yura Borisov – Anora
• Kieran Culkin – A Real Pain
• Clarence Maclin – Sing Sing
• Edward Norton – A Complete Unknown
• Guy Pearce – The Brutalist
• Jeremy Strong – The Apprentice

Best Documentary

• Black Box Diaries
• Daughters
• No Other Land
• Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story
• Will & Harper

Cinematography

• The Brutalist – Lol Crawley
• Conclave – Stéphane Fontaine
• Dune: Part Two – Greig Fraser
• Emilia Pérez – Paul Guilhaume
• Nosferatu – Jarin Blaschke

Editing

• Anora
• Conclave
• Dune: Part Two
• Emilia Pérez
• Kneecap

Casting

• Anora
• The Apprentice
• A Complete Unknown
• Conclave
• Kneecap

The 2025 BAFTAs balanced celebration and reflection, highlighting industry achievements while emphasizing inclusivity and artistic excellence. The winners showcased a range of cinematic talent, reaffirming the awards as a significant platform for global filmmaking recognition.

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