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'Atonement' wins best picture at BAFTA film awards

A list of winners and nominations for the Orange British Academy Film Awards in 2008:   ■Best Film AMERICAN GANGSTER – Brian Grazer/Ridley Scott ATONEMENT – Tim Bevan/Eric Fellner/Paul Webster THE LIVES OF OTHERS – Quirin Berg/Max Wiedemann NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN – Scott Rudin/Joel Coen/Ethan Coen THERE WILL BE BLOOD – JoAnne Sellar/Paul Thomas Anderson/Daniel Lupi ■Best British Film ATONEMENT – Tim Bevan/Eric Fellner/Paul Webster/Joe Wright/Christopher Hampton THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM – Frank Marshall/Patrick Crowley/Paul L Sandberg/Paul Greengrass/Tony Gilroy/Scott Z. Burns/George Nolfi CONTROL – Orian Williams/ Todd Eckert/Anton Corbijn/Matt Greenhalgh EASTERN PROMISES – Paul Webster/Robert Lantos/David Cronenberg/Steve Knight THIS IS ENGLAND – Mark Herbert/Shane Meadows ■The Carl Foreman Award For Special Achievement by a British Director, Writer or Producer in Their First Feature Film CHRIS ATKINS (Director/Writer) – Taking Liberties MIA BAYS (Producer) – Scott Walker: 30 Century Man SARAH GAVRON (Director) – Brick Lane MATT GREENHALGH (Writer) – Control ANDREW PIDDINGTON (Director/Writer) – The Killing of John Lennon ■Director ATONEMENT – Joe Wright THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM – Paul Greengrass THE LIVES OF OTHERS – Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN – Joel Coen/Ethan Coen THERE WILL BE BLOOD – Paul Thomas Anderson ■Original Screenplay AMERICAN GANGSTER – Steven Zaillian JUNO – Diablo Cody THE LIVES OF OTHERS – Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck MICHAEL CLAYTON – Tony Gilroy THIS IS ENGLAND – Shane Meadows ■Adapted Screenplay ATONEMENT – Christopher Hampton THE KITE RUNNER – David Benioff THE DIVING BELL AND THE BUTTERFLY – Ronald Harwood NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN – Joel Coen/Ethan Coen THERE WILL BE BLOOD – Paul Thomas Anderson ■Film not in the English Language THE DIVING BELL AND THE BUTTERFLY – Kathleen Kennedy/Jon Kilik/Julian Schnabel THE KITE RUNNER – William Horberg/Walter Parkes/Rebecca Yeldham/Marc Foster THE LIVES OF OTHERS – Quirin Berg/Max Wiedemann/Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck LUST, CAUTION – Bill Kong/James Schamus/Ang Lee LA VIE EN ROSE – Alain Goldman/Olivier Dahan ■Leading Actress CATE BLANCHETT – Elizabeth: The Golden Age JULIE CHRISTIE – Away From Her MARION COTILLARD – La Vie en Rose KEIRA KNIGHTLEY – Atonement ELLEN PAGE – Juno ■Leading Actor GEORGE CLOONEY – Michael Clayton DANIEL DAY-LEWIS – There Will Be Blood JAMES McAVOY – Atonement VIGGO MORTENSEN – Eastern Promises ULRICH MUHE – The Lives of Others ■Supporting Actress CATE BLANCHETT – I’m Not There KELLY MACDONALD – No Country for Old Men SAMANTHA MORTON – Control SAOIRSE RONAN – Atonement TILDA SWINTON – Michael Clayton ■Supporting Actor JAVIER BARDEM – No Country for Old Men PAUL DANO – There Will Be Blood TOMMY LEE JONES – No Country for Old Men PHILIP SEYMOUR HOFFMAN – Charlie Wilson’s War TOM WILKINSON – Michael Clayton  ■Music AMERICAN GANGSTER – Marc Streitenfeld ATONEMENT – Dario Marianelli THE KITE RUNNER – Alberto Iglesias THERE WILL BE BLOOD – Jonny Greenwood LA VIE EN ROSE – Christopher Gunning ■Animated Film RATATOUILLE – Brad Bird SHREK THE THIRD – Chris Miller THE SIMPSONS MOVIE – David Silverman  Source: BAFTA

Atonement, the film adaptation of Ian McEwan's best-selling novel, was named best film at the star-studded BAFTAs, the UK's showpiece movie awards, on Sunday.

Daniel Day-Lewis was named best actor for his role in There Will Be Blood, and French actress Marion Cotillard was the surprise winner of the best actress award for La Vie En Rose, in which she played singer Edith Piaf.

The British Academy Film and Television Arts awards took on increased importance this year, after a writers' strike in the US reduced the Golden Globes, traditionally the second-biggest film awards after the Oscars, to a mere news conference last month.

Overall, though Atonement, a romantic drama about life and love in World War II, had been nominated in 14 categories, it managed to win only two, with the other coming in the production design category.

Discussing whether or not the night had been a disappointment for the cast and crew of Atonement, co-producer Eric Fellner said: "When you are nominated 14 times and see 12 losses it's a great relief. Being nominated is an extraordinary thing. I'm incredibly happy to have 14 nominations and two wins."

While Day-Lewis was the favorite to win the best actor gong, Cotillard's victory meant Julie Christie, for Away From Her, and Keira Knightley, for Atonement, left empty-handed. The former was favorite to win.

Her award comes after she won a Golden Globe for the same performance, and the 32-year-old has also been nominated for an Oscar.

La Vie En Rose finished with four awards, the most of any film at the BAFTAs - it also won in the music, costume design and makeup categories, with Cotillard having to play Piaf as a 19-year-old and, eventually, as a frail woman who died aged 47.

She later said that her award victory was "totally surreal" and added: "I'm absolutely shocked, totally shocked. I'm so happy ... I don't know what Edith Piaf would think about this. I hope she would be happy."

Sunday's victory for Day-Lewis, 50, gives him his second BAFTA, having won one in 1990, and follows similar successes at the Golden Globes and the Screen Actors' Guild Awards, and his portrayal of oil baron Daniel Plainview has also earned him an Oscar nomination.

On Sunday evening, he beat out, among others, James McAvoy for Atonement and George Clooney for Michael Clayton.

"It didn't occur to me when I was doing the film that it would be a film that a lot of people would want to see," Day-Lewis said backstage after the ceremony.

Meanwhile, Joel and Ethan Coen won in the best director category for their dark thriller No Country for Old Men at the ceremony at central London's Royal Opera House.

Transformers star Shia LaBeouf won the Orange rising star award, and Oscar-winning actor Anthony Hopkins was presented with the BAFTA fellowship.

Tilda Swinton was named best supporting actress for Michael Clayton while Javier Bardem won in the Best Supporting Actor category for No Country for Old Men.

Though the BAFTAs normally play second fiddle to the Golden Globes, the writers' strike in the US gave the awards - officially the Orange British Academy Film Awards but popularly known as BAFTAs - extra importance.

The unions representing striking Hollywood screenwriters said on Saturday, however, that they had agreed to a deal to settle their three-month-old dispute, and could be back at work within days if the deal meets with union members' approval.

The strike severely disrupted Hollywood's annual awards season, leading to the cancellation of the Golden Globes awards after actors vowed to boycott the event, and casting a shadow over preparations for the Feb. 24 Oscars.
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