Emily Young, writer-director of Kiss of Life, won a special achievement award for a first-time filmmaker.
The Fellowship of the Academy, a special award and BAFTA's highest honor, went to John Boorman, the director of Deliverance, Point Blank, and Hope and Glory. Boorman received the night's sole standing ovation.
The ceremony was hosted by Stephen Fry, the erudite English actor/writer/director who made a few gentle jabs at the fact that his own film, the Evelyn Waugh adaptation Bright Young Things, was overlooked in the BAFTA nominations.
Kicking things off, he joked that it was "a record year for the colon" with the appearance of The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World, and Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, among the 2003 releases.
The ceremony was sprinkled with Hollywood stars, including Zellweger, Johansson, Holly Hunter and Johnny Depp, who arrived late and made a last-minute dash up the red carpet.
The awards are sponsored by the cell phone company Orange.
RSS