BAFTA Awards 2025 Winners: ‘Conclave’ Wins Best Film, Mikey Madison Wins Best Actress
LONDON — The night belonged to big wins and upsets at the BAFTA Awards 2025 winners, with papal selection thriller Conclave the overarching winner. The movie, which topped the nominations list with a staggering 12 nominations, won four of the coveted awards, including Best Film, Outstanding British Film, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Editing.
Director Edward Berger, in his Outstanding British Film acceptance speech, highlighted the film’s timeliness in the current world. “We live in a time of a crisis of democracy, and institutions that are usually used to bring us together are being used to pull us apart.”. Sometimes it’s difficult to have the faith with that, but that’s why we produce films and that’s why we produced this film.” His comments struck a chord in many who attended, emphasizing the relevance of the film’s themes.
Brady Corbet’s period epic The Brutalist, an epic three-and-a-half-hour story of a Hungarian immigrant architect reconstituting his life in post-World War II America, was another big winner of the evening. The film was a top contender for Best Film, winning four statues, including Best Director to Corbet, Best Actor to Adrien Brody, Best Original Score, and Best Cinematography.
Adrien Brody, the lead actor, thanked the audience as he received the Best Actor award. “This film is really about the pursuit of leaving something meaningful behind, and I think that’s something we can all relate to.” Brody’s acting has been well received, cementing his position as a solid Oscar contender.
One of the biggest shocks of the evening came in the Leading Actress category, with Mikey Madison taking the prize for her turn in Anora, which tells the story of an exotic dancer who becomes involved with the son of a Russian oligarch. Madison’s win was something of a shock, as it was widely predicted that Demi Moore (The Substance) or British actress Marianne Jean-Baptiste (Hard Truths) would take the prize.
Madison, visibly shaken, dedicated her award to the sex worker community. “I really wasn’t expecting this,” she stated. “I want to take a moment to honor the sex worker community … you are worthy of respect and human decency. I will always be your friend.” Her passionate speech was received with thunderous applause.
Anora, by Sean Baker, has been going strong all along during awards season, having earlier won at Critics Choice Awards, the Producers and Directors Guild of America Awards. Most of them now perceive it as one of the major contenders for the upcoming Academy Awards in a month’s time.
In the Best Film Not in the English Language category, the musical-crime genre hybrid Emilia Perez won the award. The film, which combines drama, crime, and musical narrative elements, had been one of the early awards-season contenders.
Director Jacques Audiard swept the award off the podium, thanking with humility, “This is too kind, you shouldn’t have done that. This award is not for me, but for everybody who worked day and night on this movie.” Audiard also made a point to thank the cast of the film, including Karla Sofía Gascón, who had been nominated for Leading Actress but was noticeably absent after years of controversy over past social media posts.
Another big winner of the evening was Kieran Culkin, who took home the Supporting Actor prize for his performance in Jesse Eisenberg’s dramedy A Real Pain. The movie, which delves into the elements of loss and family, also took home the Best Original Screenplay award for Eisenberg, who directed and wrote the film.
Culkin’s victory adds yet another honor to his already stellar awards season, and most anticipate him being a top contender at the next Academy Awards. A Real Pain has been widely complimented for its perfect mix of humor and emotional depth, which makes it one of the top films of the year.
Though Conclave and The Brutalist swept the night with four victories apiece, BAFTAs also honored films across genres and narrative structures. Bob Dylan biopic A Complete Unknown was shortlisted for Best Film but did not return with any accolades. Anora and Emilia Perez, however, won considerable awards in their categories, solidifying their positions within the awards race.
