The awards season has begun to close its curtain this year, with the final award show being The Oscars happening on March 15. On Feb. 22, The British Academy of Film and Television Arts, also known as the BAFTAs, had their live streamed award show, with some surprising wins from the night, as well as an upsetting and disappointing moment during the show.Â
For those who don’t know, the BAFTAs are a major contender in awards season because the awards show overlaps with the Academy Awards’ final voting. Sometimes, a BAFTA winner in an acting category goes on to win an Academy Award for their performance or for best film. At the same time, that isn’t always the case; one example is last year, when a film titled Conclave won the BAFTA for Best Film, but at the Oscars, Anora took the award home. So, while the BAFTAs are an important precursor to the awards season, they don’t always predict who will win or which film will. The BAFTAs are normally live-streamed through a UK service called the British Broadcasting Corporation, BBC. That being said, some wins I found from the night really shocked me and changed my predictions about this awards season.Â
One win that was personally the best, was Wunmi Mosaku’s for Best Actress in a Supporting Role in the film Sinners. She was my top choice for the night, too, which is insane, because she is also nominated for an Academy Award for her supporting role. I was so happy to see her recognized for her role. This also makes Mosaku a two-time BAFTA winner, as she has won for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for a TV show called Damilola. Hopefully, this will convince Academy Award voters that Mosaku deserves to take home the Oscar. Another highlight I was personally fond of was Ryan Coogler, the director of the best film ever, Sinners, who won the BAFTA for Best Original Screenplay. You may be wondering why I’m even mentioning this win. Well, it’s a very special moment because Coogler has made history as the first Black winner of Best Original Screenplay.Â
While these highlights were magnificent, one moment that happened during the award show is unforgettable, and not in the best way. Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo, who both star in the film Sinners as well, were onstage to present the award for Best Special Visual Effects, when a guest named John Davidson, who has Tourette’s Syndrome, shouted the N-word at Jordan and Lindo. Afterwards, during an interview, Lindo revealed that he and Jordan were upset at the moment, but they “did what we had to do.” Not only that, but it was revealed that the moment was not censored; the BBC was able to cut the phrase “Free Palestine” spoken by director Akinola Davies Jr., who won for Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer. To make matters worse, no one during the show reached out to Lindo or Jordan to apologize after the incident. Since this moment, there has been much outrage on social media. Recently, a member of the BAFTA jury has stepped down from the organization’s panel for the BAFTAs’ handling of the incident. It was also revealed that Warner Brothers executives, the studio behind the film Sinners, reached out to the BBC and requested that the incident be censored or removed from broadcast.Â
From my perspective, this incident was handled very poorly. While I do appreciate Johnson issuing an apology to the audience, I think it’s very clear we’re not the ones who should be apologized to. Jordan and Lindo deserve a respectable apology. I give them credit for handling the situation the way they did, but it’s still very disheartening. Hopefully, this opens eyes and ears to everyone on how censorship has been shifting rapidly.Â