Michael J Fox received a standing ovation from the stars in attendance at the 2024 British Academy Film Awards on Sunday, as he took to the stage in a wheelchair.
The actor, 62, who has battled Parkinson’s since 1991, appeared at the ceremony to present the award for Best Film to Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer.
Michael’s film Still: A Michael J Fox Story was also nominated for the Documentary prize, but lost out to 20 Days In Mariupol.
After arriving on the stage in a wheelchair, Michael made his way to the podium to announce the winner of Best Film, earning a hugely warm reception from the star-studded audience in London’s Royal Festival Hall.
The Back To The Future star previously walked the red carpet with his glamorous wife Tracy Pollan.
Michael J Fox received a standing ovation from the stars in attendance at the 2024 British Academy Film Awards on Sunday, as he took to the stage in a wheelchair
Michael was 29 in 1991 when he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, and went public with the information in 1998.
In the autumn of 2000, he launched The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research, which ‘is dedicated to finding a cure for Parkinson’s disease through an aggressively funded research agenda and to ensuring the development of improved therapies for those living with Parkinson’s today.’
According to the foundation, it has raised more than $1.75 billion for the cause.
Oppenheimer won Best Film as well as sweeping the board in major categories at the BAFTA Film Awards at The Royal Festival Hall.
The epic biographical thriller swept the board the wins with seven gongs, including Best Actor for Cillian Murphy, Best Supporting Actor for Robert Downey Jr and Best Director for Christopher Nolan. It had the most nominations with 13.
The biggest night in British film returned with actor David Tennant as host, with an array of guest presenters on hand to deliver awards throughout the night.
Cillian, 47, – who plays the titular role in Christopher Nolan’s atomic bomb saga – picked up the prize at the prestigious British awards ceremony.
He triumphed against Bradley Cooper for Maestro, Colman Domingo for Rustin, Paul Giamatti for The Holdovers, Barry Keoghan for Saltburn and Teo Yoo for Past Lives.
The actor who has battled Parkinson’s since 1991, appeared at the ceremony to present the award for Best Film to Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer
BAFTA 2024 WINNERS AT A GLANCE
Best Film – Oppenheimer
Best Director – Christopher Nolan, Oppenheimer
Supporting Actor – Robert Downey Jr, Oppenheimer
Leading Actor – Cillian Murphy, Oppenheimer
Leading Actress – Emma Stone, Poor Things
Supporting Actress – Da’vine Joy Randolph, The Holdovers
After arriving on the stage in a wheelchair, Michael made his way to the podium to announce the winner of Best Film
Accepting the trophy he said: ‘Oh boy, holy moly, thank you very, very much Bafta.’
He paid tribute to ‘the most dynamic, kindest producer-director partnership in Hollywood: Chris Nolan and Emma Thomas, thank you for seeing something in me that I probably didn’t see in myself.’
The Irish actor said to Nolan: ‘Thank for always pushing me and demanding excellence because that is what you deliver time and time again.’
He also acknowledged his ‘fellow nominees and my Oppenhomies’, adding: ‘I know it’s a cliche to say, but I’m in awe of you.’
He said J Robert Oppenheimer, known as the father of the atomic bomb, was a ‘colossally knotty character’, adding: ‘We have a space to debate and interrogate and investigate that complexity and it’s a privilege to be a part of this community with you all
Robert, 58, collected a BAFTA for his role as Lewis Strauss in Hollywood blockbuster Oppenheimer, which has swept the board during awards season.
Robert admitted he owes the award to the film’s director Nolan, producer Emma Thomas and leading man Cillian Murphy, as well as ‘British influence’.
Gesturing to Nolan, he said: ‘Recently that dude suggested I attempt an understated approach as a last ditch effort to resurrect my dwindling credibility.’
Robert’s win set a new record for the longest gap between wins by any performer.
His award, for the film Oppenheimer, comes 31 years after his previous BAFTA, for the 1993 film Chaplin.
The Back To The Future star previously walked the red carpet with his glamorous wife Tracy Pollan
The previous record was 27 years, set by Sir Anthony Hopkins in 2021 when he won the award for best actor for The Father, nearly three decades after his 1994 win for Shadowlands.
Nolan won the Best Director BAFTA for Oppenheimer, his epic tale of how the nuclear bomb was created.
Before accepting the award from actor Hugh Grant, Nolan hugged his Irish star Cillian Murphy who played physicist J Robert Oppenheimer.
Nolan joked that his brother ‘beat him up here’ by being in a chorus of a production 40 years ago.
Nolan has previously lost out despite numerous commercial successes such as Inception and The Dark Knight, the UK-born filmmaker won out against Jonathan Glazer [The Zone of Interest], Justine Triet [Anatomy of a Fall], Alexander Payne [The Holdovers], Bradley Cooper [Maestro] and Andrew Haigh [All of Us Strangers].
He paid tribute to Murphy and added to those who backed the film: ‘Thank you for taking on something dark’.
The director also acknowledged the efforts of nuclear disarmament organisations to bring peace.
Oppenheimer swept up in the big name categories, but it was closely followed by the surreal black comedy Poor Things.
It marked five awards for the film, as Emma Stone collected the gong for her turn as Bella Baxter.
Accepting her award, she said: ‘Since we’re in London, I want to start by thanking dialect coach. She praised him for not laughing at her when he taught her how to say ‘water’.
‘I really wanted to thank my mum, because she’s the best person I know. Without her none of this would exist, including my life, so thank you for that Mum.’
Meanwhile, Da’Vine was crowned victorious in the Best Supporting Actress category for her part in The Holdovers as she continues her march to Oscars glory.
She took to the stage and told the presenter ‘you are so handsome’ – prompting laughter from the audience.
‘Thank you for trusting me with this beautiful character,’ she says.
Becoming emotional, she says that being able to ‘wear this beautiful gown, standing on the stage in London, is not a responsibility I take lightly’.
Randolph plays school cook Mary in the film set at a boarding school in the early 1970s.
Director Jonathan Glazer and producer James Wilson’s The Zone Of Interest won the BAFTA for outstanding British film.
Wilson told the audience they were ‘stunned’ the film had won three awards during the ceremony, and while it was shot in Poland, the team who made it was assembled from the UK.
The night kicked off with French legal drama Anatomy Of A Fall winning the Original Screenplay award after premiering in Cannes back in May.
Collecting the award, co-writer and director Justine Triet, said: ‘The last time I I was in London, a woman said to me: ‘After I saw your movie I called my ex and told him to see it to understand why I dumped him.’
‘Someone else said ‘Did you put a mic in my kitchen?’
Gesturing to her co-writer and partner Arthur Harari, Triet said ‘I would like to make a statement tonight: it’s a fiction and we are reasonably fine.’
Harari referred to the plot of the courtroom drama when he joked that he had recently found himself near a window in an attic.
He added: ‘I want this room as my witness, if something happens to me, I loved insulating that attic and I’m quite happy tonight.’
Next up, black comedy Poor Things won the BAFTA for special visual effects.
Following this, drama film Earth Mama was honoured with the BAFTA outstanding debut by a British writer, director or producer, presented by David Beckham.
The director was given the award alongside Irish producers Shirley O’Connor and Medb Riordan.
The Zone Of Interest won the BAFTA for a film not in the English language.
Comedy drama American Fiction won best adapted screenplay at the Bafta film awards ceremony.
Composer Ludwig Goransson won the BAFTA for original score for epic biopic Oppenheimer while Johnnie Burn and Tarn Willers scooped the honour for best sound for Holocaust film The Zone Of Interest.
The Bafta for production design went to Shona Heath, James Price and Zsuzsa Mihalek for surreal comedy Poor Things, about a woman who is reanimated and begins a new life.
It was previously announced the BAFTA for outstanding British contribution to cinema would go to programmer and archivist June Givanni, founder of the Pan African Film Archive, who collected the prize during the ceremony from Bridgerton star Adjoa Andoh.
Northern Ireland actor James Martin, from Oscar-winning film An Irish Goodbye, presented the British short film Bafta to Yasmin Afifi and Elizabeth Rufai for Jellyfish And Lobster, a tale about care home residents.
Samantha Morton collected the BAFTA Fellowship from producer David Heyman, who she worked with on Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them.
The BAFTA Rising Star award was won by Mia Mckenna-Bruce following a public vote.
The star of coming-of-age film How To Have Sex appeared emotional on stage as she thanked her family and her ‘beautiful baby boy’.
BAFTA 2024 WINNERS IN FULL
Best Film
Anatomy Of A Fall
The Holdovers
Killers Of The Flower Moon
Oppenheimer – WINNER
Poor Things
Best Director
Oppenheimer’s is set to sweep the board. One of its many nominations is Christopher Nolan as Best Director
Andrew Haigh, All of Us Stranger
Justine Triet, Anatomy of a Fall
Alexander Payne, The Holdovers
Bradley Cooper, Maestro
Christopher Nolan, Oppenheimer – WINNER
Jonathan Glazer, The Zone of Interest
Supporting Actor
Robert De Niro, Killers Of The Flower Moon
Robert Downey Jr, Oppenheimer – WINNER
Jacob Elordi, Saltburn
Ryan Gosling, Barbie
Paul Mescal, All Of Us Strangers
Dominic Sessa, The Holdovers
Supporting Actress
Emily Blunt, Oppenheimer
Danielle Brooks, The Color Purple
Claire Foy, All Of Us Strangers
Sandra Hüller, The Zone Of Interest
Rosamund Pike, Saltburn
Da’vine Joy Randolph, The Holdovers – WINNER
Original Screenplay
Anatomy Of A Fall has received plenty of nominations including for Original Screenplay
Anatomy of a Fall – WINNER
Barbie
The Holdovers
Maestro
Past Lives
Adapted Screenplay
All Of Us Strangers
American Fiction – WINNER
Oppenheimer
Poor Things
The Zone Of Interest
Animated Film
Chicken Run’s sequel Dawn Of The Nugget is up for Animated Film
The Boy And The Heron – WINNER
Chicken Run: Dawn Of The Nugget
Elemental
Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse
British Short Film
Festival Of Slaps
Gorka
Jellyfish And Lobster – WINNER
Such A Lovely Day
Yellow
Cinematography
Killers Of The Flower Moon
Maestro
Oppenheimer – WINNER
Poor Things
The Sone Of Interest
Documentary
20 Days In Mariupol – WINNER
American Symphony
Beyond Utopia
Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie
Wham!
Make Up & Hair
Killers Of The Flower Moon earned plenty of nominations. Pictured: Lily Gladstone and Leonardo di Caprio
Killers Of The Flower Moon
Maestro
Napoleon
Oppenheimer
Poor Things – WINNER
Product Design
Barbie
Killers Of The Flower Moon
Oppenheimer
Poor Things – WINNER
The Zone Of Interest
Special Visual Effects
Poor Things, featuring Emma Stone and Mark Ruffalo (both pictured), is up for Special Visual Effects
The Creator
Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3
Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One
Napoleon
Poor Things – WINNER
Leading Actor
Barry Keoghan is up for Leading Actor for his performance in Saltburn
Bradley Cooper, Maestro
Colman Domingo, Rustin
Paul Giamatti, The Holdovers
Barry Keoghan, Saltburn
Cillian Murphy, Oppenheimer – WINNER
Teo Yoo, Past Lives
Leading Actress
Margot Robbie got nominated for Leading Actress
Fantasia Barrino, The Color Purple
Sandra Hüller, Anatomy Of A Fall
Carey Mulligan, Maestro
Vivian Oparah, Rye Lane
Margot Robbie, Barbie
Emma Stone, Poor Things – WINNER
Outstanding British Film
All Of Us Strangers
How To Have Sex
Napoleon
The Old Oak
Poor Things
Rye Lane
Saltburn
Scrapper
Wonka
The Zone Of Interest – WINNER
Film Not in the English Language
20 Days In Mariupol
Anatomy of a Fall
Past Lives
Society of the Snow
The Zone of Interest – WINNER
Outstanding Debut
How To Have Sex got a nod for Outstanding Debut
Blue Bag Life
Bobi Wine: The People’s President
Earth Mama – WINNER
How To Have Sex
Is There Anybody Out There?
Outstanding Debut By A British Writer, Director Or Producer
Lisa Selby, Rebecca Lloyd-Evans, Alex Fry
Christopher Sharp
Savanah Leaf, Shirley O’connor, Medb Riordan – WINNER
Molly Manning Walker
Ella Glendining
British Short Animation
Crab Day – WINNER
Visible Mending
Wild Summon
Casting
The Holdovers had a good showing, including being up for Casting
All Of Us Strangers
Anatomy Of A Fall
The Holdovers – WINNER
How To Have Sex
Killers Of The Flower Moon
Costume Design
Barbie
Killers Of The Flower Moon
Napoleon
Oppenheimer
Poor Things – WINNER
Editing
Anatomy Of A Fall
Killers Of The Flower Moon
Oppenheimer – WINNER
Poor Things
The Zone Of Interest
Original Score
Killers Of The Flower Moon
Oppenheimer – WINNER
Poor Things
Saltburn
Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse
Sound
The Zone Of Interest is up for Sound alongside Oppenheimer, Maestro and others
Ferrari
Maestro
Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One
Oppenheimer
The Zone Of Interest – WINNER
EE Rising Star
Phoebe Dynevor
Ayo Edebiri
Jacob Elordi
Mia McKenna-Bruce – WINNER
Sophie Wilde
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