Image copyright EPA/PA Image caption Emma Stone and Dev Patel were two of the main winners of the night

La La Land has dominated the Baftas, taking five trophies - including best film and best actress for Emma Stone.

There were also awards for Lion, including best supporting actor for Dev Patel, and Ken Loach's I, Daniel Blake, which was named outstanding British film at the London ceremony.

Patel said the win was "overwhelming".

Casey Affleck was named best actor for Manchester by the Sea and Viola Davis won the best supporting actress prize for Fences.

She is also nominated for an Oscar for her role in Fences, based on the August Wilson stage play of the same name.

Manchester by the Sea also won the best original screenplay, for the text by its director Kenneth Lonergan.

Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Highlights from the 2017 Bafta film awards

You may well be tired of hearing about La La Land, but its winning streak shows no signs of slowing down.

The recognition by Bafta is a good sign for the musical - also starring Ryan Gosling - coming just weeks before the Oscars. It had been nominated for 11 Baftas in all and is in contention for 14 Academy Awards.

La La Land has already smashed the record for the most Golden Globes, winning seven prizes last month.

Image copyright AFP/Getty Image caption Viola Davis praised playwright August Wilson in her speech

Stone was among the winners to make an oblique reference to world affairs, although the new US President Donald Trump was not explicitly mentioned during the acceptance speeches.

After thanking La La Land's director Damien Chazelle, who took home the best director statuette, Stone told the audience: "This country - and the US, and the world - seems to be going through a bit of a time, just a bit.

"In a time that's so divisive, I think it's so special we were able to come together tonight thanks to Bafta, to celebrate the positive gift of creativity and how it can transcend borders and how it can help people to feel a little less alone."

She beat Meryl Streep, Amy Adams, Emily Blunt and Natalie Portman, and is also in the running for an Academy Award.

Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption The stars hit the red carpet at the Baftas

Affleck, who plays a grieving handyman in gritty drama Manchester by the Sea, seemed taken aback by his win, saying: "The room looks very different from here. My heart is beating."

After the awards, he said he had spoken to Meryl Streep backstage about her recent Donald Trump speech.

Affleck said: "I told her how much her speech at the Golden Globes meant to all of us and how grateful I was that she did it and kicked in the door a little bit, and said it's OK to talk about these things and said it doesn't matter if we are actors, we have been given a microphone and we can speak out.

"She said, 'I think there is hope around the corner'."

Image copyright PA Image caption Kenneth Lonergan (L), director of Manchester by the Sea, and Casey Affleck with two of the film's awards

Arrival and Nocturnal Animals were nominated for nine Baftas each, but just won one award between them.

That went to sci-fi epic Arrival, starring Amy Adams, for best sound - leaving Tom Ford's latest movie, in which the actress also makes an appearance, empty handed.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were guests of honour at the star-studded ceremony, held at London's Royal Albert Hall.

The duke was there as president of Bafta to award the fellowship to veteran actor and comedian Mel Brooks.

'Out-of-body experience'

Patel, 26, was greeted with a round of applause as he accepted the prize for best supporting actor for family drama Lion, about a man who was adopted as a child and is trying to find his family in India. He is nominated in the same category at the Oscars.

The former Skins star initially appeared speechless, saying: "Wow, that just happened", before describing the win as "so overwhelming".

He stars with Nicole Kidman in Lion, which he said is "about a love that transcends borders, race, colour, anything".

Backstage, the Briton said his family was with him for the ceremony, adding: "I used to watch this with them, in Rayners Lane on the end of the Piccadilly Line. It's an out-of-body experience."

He promised to share the award with Sunny Pawar, the young boy who plays Patel's character Saroo Brierley as a child. Lion also won the best adapted screenplay.

Image copyright EPA Image caption (L-R) I, Daniel Blake star Dave Johns with director Ken Loach, producer Rebecca O'Brien and writer Paul Laverty

Ken Loach, director of I, Daniel Blake - about the struggles of living in the UK benefits system - condemned the government as he accepted the award for outstanding British film - the first of the night to be handed out.

He apologised for making a political speech so early on, but said: "Thank you to the academy for endorsing the truths of what the film says, which hundreds and thousands of people in this country know.

"The most vulnerable and poorest are treated by the government with a callous brutality that is disgraceful, a brutality that extends to keeping out refugee children we promised to help and that's a disgrace too."

'Stories deserve to be told'

Viola Davis paid tribute to her late father, who worked as a janitor and horse groomer, in her speech.

"When he took his last breath, one of the most devastating things that went through my mind is: Did his life matter?" she said.

"August [Wilson] answers that question so brilliantly, because what he did is he said that our lives mattered as African-Americans.

Image copyright AFP/Getty Image caption Tom Holland seemed delighted with his award

"The horse groomer, the sanitation worker, the people who grew up under the heavy boot of Jim Crow, the people who did not make it into history books - but they have a story, and those stories deserve to be told, because they lived."

EE's Rising Star award - the only to be voted for by the public - was won by Spider-Man: Homecoming star Tom Holland.

Follow us on Facebook, on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, or on Instagram at bbcnewsents. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.</s>Musical “La La Land” won big at Britain’s main film awards on Sunday as it scooped the prize for best film, while Emma Stone and Damien Chazelle picked up awards for best actress and best director respectively. Dev Patel won the best supporting actor award for Lion at British Academy Film Awards 2017.

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La La Land won five gongs in total to keep its hot streak in the movie awards season going before the Oscars later this month, as it also picked up awards for cinematography and original music. Amid the awards there were also veiled references to new US President Donald Trump, who has caused controversy with his plans to build a wall on the Mexican border and his restrictions on migration.

“In a time that’s so divisive I think it’s really special that we were able to come together… to celebrate the positive gift of creativity and how it can transcend borders and how it can help people to feel a little less alone,” Emma Stone said in her acceptance speech.

“La La Land”, a throwback musical about an aspiring actress and a jazz pianist who are trying to make their way in Hollywood, had been nominated for 11 British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) awards. Its success follows on from the Golden Globes, where it picked up seven awards. It has a joint-record 14 nominations for the Academy Awards on February 26, Hollywood’s highlight of the awards season.

Justin Hurwitz, who won the award for the film’s music, said that he hoped the success of the film might prompt a renaissance in the genre. “I love to go the theatre and see musicals. So if this can help any more musicals get green-lit, that would be amazing,” he told Reuters ahead of the ceremony.

While Stone triumphed, co-star Ryan Gosling lost out in the best actor category to Casey Affleck, for his performance in family drama “Manchester by the Sea”. Gosling was also notable by his absence, with the film’s producers saying he had a family matter to attend to. “Manchester by the Sea” picked up two awards in total, with Kenneth Lonergan’s picking up an award for original screenplay.

A popular pick among the audience in the Royal Albert Hall, Londoner Dev Patel, 26, won best supporting actor for his performance in “Lion”, which charts the real-life story of an Indian boy adopted by an Australian couple. The film also won an award for best-adapted screenplay.

Viola Davis took home the prize for best supporting actress for her performance in “Fences”, an adaption of a Pulitzer Prize-winning play about the life of a black family in 1950s Pennsylvania.

She alluded to issues with race relations in the United States in her acceptance speech, and defended Meryl Streep, who was criticised by Trump after the Golden Globes. “Anyone who labels Meryl Streep ‘an overrated actress’ obviously doesn’t know anything about acting,” she told reporters. “That’s not even just directed towards Donald Trump, that’s directed towards anyone.”

Outspoken director Ken Loach turned his ire onto British politicians, lambasting the “callous brutality” of the government as he accepted the award for “I, Daniel Blake”, an unflinching depiction of a man’s struggles while on benefits.

However, some of the political interventions were more light-hearted. American director Mel Brooks, who wrote and directed “The Producers”, a 1968 comedy about the producers of a musical about Nazi Germany, also made light of the current political situation.

“I’m not afraid of Trump, not at all,” Brooks told reporters, after he won an award for contribution to film, known as the Fellowship. “I think he’s mostly an entertainer.”</s>Hollywood romantic musical "La La Land" on Sunday won five awards out of its eleven nominations at the 70th Awards. The ceremony, where Indian-origin British actor bagged the Best Supporting Actor honour for "Lion", also saw celebrities making political statements uninhibitedly.

"La La Land", a feel-good movie exuding an old world charm, clinched the Best Film title, along with a Best Director for Damien Chazelle, Best Leading Actress for Emma Stone, Best Cinematography for Linus Sandgren and Best Original Music for Justin Hurwitz.

The movie's lead star missed out on the Best Actor going to Casey Affleck for "Manchester by the Sea" and Chazelle was pipped to the Best Original Screenplay prize by Kenneth Lonergan for the same film. But largely, the awards at the historic Royal Albert Hall were spread widely.

Movies like "Manchester by the Sea", "Fences", "Lion", "Arrival", "Hacksaw Ridge", "Jackie" and "Florence Foster Jenkins" won, while "Moonlight" seemed to have been eclipsed by them all at the gala, attended by Duke of Cambridge Prince William and Duchess of Cambridge Kate Middleton.

Prince William awarded the Fellowship to 90-year-old comedian and filmmaker Mel Brooks, who said it was "mighty nice" of the heads to choose an American for the prestigious honour.

In the Supporting Actor category, Dev Patel's act in "Lion" — which also won the Best Adapted Screenplay title for Luke Davies — won among the men, and among the women, Viola Davis took home the honour.

Davis commented on the anomaly that the awards season has diverse nominees this year, telegraph.co.uk reported.

She also took a dig at US President Donald Trump, saying, "Anyone who labels Meryl Streep 'overrated' doesn't know anything about acting".

It was earlier reported that heads had fears that this year's ceremony will be full of celebrities vocalising their political standpoint. And as expected, many of them spoke out.

Lonergan told the audience how his 15-year-old daughter had woken in tears after Donald Trump was elected US President, but had since been on five protest marches since, theguardian.com reported.

"I'm very, very proud of her," he added.

Before the official start of the ceremony itself, chair Jane Lush commented on diversity issues within the industry. Lush said it was shocking that in the 21st Century "your gender, race, and background can still hold you back".

Lush also remarked on the success of British talent in US films, commenting that she feared "someone might build a wall across the Atlantic to keep us out", reported variety.com.

Also, Stephen Fry, who was hosting the gala for the 12th time, took a swipe at Trump. While welcoming veteran actress Meryl Streep to the ceremony, he said Streep was "one of the greatest actresses of all-time. Only a blithering idiot would think otherwise."

Ken Loach, whose gritty movie "I, Daniel Blake" won the Outstanding British Film award, spoke passionately about endorsing a truth "that the most vulnerable and poorest people are treated by this (British) government with a contempt and a callous brutality that is disgraceful".

Other award winners — "Jackie" won the Best Costume Design Award, "Arrival" won Best Sound, "Hacksaw Ridge" won Best Editing, and "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" got Best Production Design.

Hungarian director Laszlo Nemes's "Son of Saul" won the Best Film Not in the English Language, while "Kubo and the Two Strings" emerged as a surprise winner in the Animated Film category, and "The Jungle Book" won for special visual effects.

Now with "La La Land" registering maximum wins at Awards, all eyes are on the Oscars — to be held on Februay in Los Angeles — where the film has 14 nominations.</s>Oscar’s sibling from across the pond has spoken, as the British Academy of Film and Television Arts has peppered individual accolades across several of 2016’s awards circuit mainstays.

La La Land — the current favorite to win the best picture Oscar — scored a staggering 11 BAFTA nods last month; at the corresponding ceremony, held Sunday at London’s Royal Albert Hall, the film captured five of those nominations, including best original music, best cinematography, best director (Damien Chazelle), best actress (Emma Stone) and best film. The box office juggernaut has amassed a whopping $294.3 million worldwide thus far, $30.2 million of which came from ticket sales in the U.K.

In the past decade, BAFTA’s best film honoree has gone on to win the best picture Oscar six times, with 2006’s The Queen, 2007’s Atonement, 2014’s Boyhood, 2015’s The Revenant being the exceptions.

Stone’s victory cements her front-runner status in the Academy’s best actress race, giving the film’s star a prime publicity boost one day before final Oscar balloting is set to begin. She beat out stiff competition from the likes of Amy Adams (Arrival), Emily Blunt (The Girl on the Train), and fellow Oscar nominees Meryl Streep (Florence Foster Jenkins), and Natalie Portman (Jackie). Isabelle Huppert’s Academy Award-nominated turn in Elle was ineligible for BAFTA consideration, as its British release date (March 10) falls after the BAFTA deadline. Ruth Negga, also nominated for an Oscar for her work in Jeff Nichols’ Loving, received a BAFTA nomination in the EE Rising Star category.

Kenneth Lonergan’s weepy drama Manchester by the Sea also took multiple BAFTAs Sunday night, winning two total; one for Casey Affleck’s lead performance and the other for Lonergan’s original screenplay. (Affleck, who lost best actor at the Screen Actors Guild Awards last month to Denzel Washington did not face the Fences star in his BAFTA category on Sunday.)

The 2016 critical favorite Moonlight failed to drum up much attention from BAFTA voters despite receiving eight Oscar nods in January. The Barry Jenkins-directed film, based on Tarell Alvin McCraney’s unproduced stage play In Moonlight Black Boys Look Blue, received zero awards despite tallying four overall nominations.

As expected, Viola Davis continued her dominance in the supporting actress race at large, taking the BAFTA trophy on the road toward her first Oscar victory. Her performance opposite Denzel Washington in the August Wilson adaptation previously won similar awards at the Golden Globes and the Screen Actors Guild Awards.

In the supporting actor category, Lion star Dev Patel pulled off a surprise win over critical favorite Mahershala Ali. The pair previously squared off at the SAG Awards, though Ali emerged as the guild’s victor. Prior to the BAFTA ceremony, however, Ali had taken multiple high profile awards from critics organizations, namely from the Los Angeles Film Critics Association and the New York Film Critics Circle; though he and Patel were nominated by the journalist-driven Hollywood Foreign Press Association, they ultimately lost the group’s Golden Globe award to Nocturnal Animals star Aaron Taylor-Johnson.

Also earning statuettes from BAFTA this year were the Jacqueline Kennedy film Jackie (best costume design), sci-fi drama Arrival (best sound), Mel Gibson’s directorial comeback Hacksaw Ridge (best editing), Ava DuVernay’s Oscar-nominated feature 13th (best documentary), Disney’s box office hit The Jungle Book (best special visual effects), Kubo and the Two Strings (best animated film), and the Cannes Palme d’Or winner I, Daniel Blake (outstanding British film).

BAFTA’s eclectic membership, representing roughly 6,500 entertainment industry professionals, votes on the best films released on British screens across the respective calendar year. Membership largely crosses over with Oscar’s, meaning several surprise winners (like Patel) could end up repeating during the Academy’s Feb. 26 telecast.

Per The Guardian, the 2017 BAFTA Award winners are:

American Honey

 Denial

 Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

 WINNER: I, Daniel Blake

 Notes on Blindness

 Under the Shadow

Allied

 Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

 Florence Foster Jenkins

 WINNER: Jackie

 La La Land

WINNER: Arrival

 Deepwater Horizon

 Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

 Hacksaw Ridge

 La La Land

Doctor Strange

 WINNER: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

 Hail, Caesar!

 La La Land

 Nocturnal Animals

WINNER: 13th

 The Beatles: Eight Days a Week – The Touring Years

 The Eagle Huntress

 Notes on Blindness

 Weiner

Best film not in the English language

Finding Dory

 WINNER: Kubo and the Two Strings

 Moana

 Zootropolis

Arrival

 Doctor Strange

 Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

 WINNER: The Jungle Book

 Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

Best debut by a British writer, director or producer

The Girl With All the Gifts – Mike Carey (writer), Camille Gatin (producer)

 The Hard Stop – George Amponsah (writer/director/producer), Dionne Walker (writer/producer)

 Notes on Blindness – Peter Middleton (writer/director/producer), James Spinney (writer/director), Jo-Jo Ellison (producer)

 The Pass – John Donnelly (writer), Ben A Williams (director)

 WINNER: Under the Shadow – Babak Anvari (writer/director), Emily Leo, Oliver Roskill, Lucan Toh (producers)

Hell or High Water

 I, Daniel Blake

 La La Land

 WINNER: Manchester By the Sea

 Moonlight

Amy Adams (Arrival)

 Emily Blunt (The Girl on the Train)

 WINNER: Emma Stone (La La Land)

 Meryl Streep (Florence Foster Jenkins)

 Natalie Portman (Jackie)</s>Hollywood musical about a struggling actress and a jazz musician tipped for host of awards.

The musical La La Land about a struggling actress and a jazz musician is expected to pick up a host of prizes at the British Academy Film Awards.

The film, starring Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone about young dreamers who sing and dance their way around Los Angeles, is the most nominated film with 11 nods.

Both Gosling and Stone have both received best actor and actress nods at the awards which take place at the Royal Albert Hall in London on Sunday.

La La Land has already made Oscar history, tying the record for the most nominations ever with 14, and become the most nominated musical of all time.

Ken Loach's gritty drama about life in the UK benefits system I, Daniel Blake, has secured five nominations and will compete with La La Land for best film.

Sci-fi movie Arrival, American coming-of-age story Moonlight and drama Manchester By The Sea are also challenging the category.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will share the spotlight at the star-studded event alongside nominees including Meryl Streep, Nicole Kidman and Hugh Grant.

During the ceremony they will meet representatives of Bafta and William and present the fellowship award to comedian Mel Brooks.

The Duke has been president of the academy since February 2010, and this is the first time they will attend the awards ceremony together.

Other nominees confirmed to attend include Andrew Garfield, Ryan Gosling, Casey Affleck, Amy Adams, Dev Patel, Emily Blunt, Emma Stone, Michelle Williams, Viola Davis and Naomie Harris.

The ceremony be hosted by Stephen Fry and broadcast on BBC One at 9pm.
• Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them
• The full nominations list for the British Academy Film Awards 2017</s>Glittery Hollywood musical La La Land will battle gritty British drama I, Daniel Blake for the top prize at the EE British Academy Film Awards on Sunday.

Emily Blunt, Andrew Garfield and Hugh Grant are among the UK stars hoping to walk away with Bafta acting gongs.

Emily Blunt in The Girl on The Train

Emily has received a leading actress nod for her role in The Girl On The Train, while Andrew is nominated for leading actor for playing a US Army medic in Mel Gibson’s film Hacksaw Ridge.

While Andrew’s performance has won critical praise, he faces stiff competition from Casey Affleck, who has already won a Golden Globe for his performance in Manchester By The Sea.

Casey Affleck in Manchester By The Sea

They will both compete against La La Land’s Ryan Gosling, who also scored a Golden Globe, Jake Gyllenhaal for Nocturnal Animals and Viggo Mortensen for Captain Fantastic.

Emily will go head-to-head with Meryl Streep for the film Florence Foster Jenkins, Amy Adams for Arrival, Golden Globe winner Emma Stone for La La Land and Natalie Portman for her portrayal of former first lady Jackie Kennedy in Jackie.

Hugh received a supporting actor nod for his role opposite Meryl in Florence Foster Jenkins and will compete against fellow Brits Aaron Taylor-Johnson, who is nominated for Nocturnal Animals, and Dev Patel, who got a nod for Lion.

They will take on American stars Mahershala Ali and Jeff Bridges, for Moonlight and Hell Or High Water respectively.

Dave Johns and Hayley Squires in I, Daniel Blake (PA/Entertainment One)

Skyfall star Naomie Harris is nominated in the supporting actress category for playing a drug-addicted mother alongside Ali in Moonlight, while I, Daniel Blake star Hayley Squires is nominated in the same category for her role as a young woman scraping by in the welfare system.

They will compete with Manchester By The Sea’s Michelle Williams, Lion star Nicole Kidman and perceived frontrunner Viola Davis for Fences.

Philosophical sci-fi Arrival and Tom Ford’s noir thriller Nocturnal Animals both received nine nominations while Manchester By The Sea had six.

I, Daniel Blake, the Harry Potter spin-off Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them, as well as Hacksaw Ridge and Lion will compete for five awards.

The statuettes will be handed out at a star-studded ceremony hosted by Stephen Fry at the Royal Albert Hall.</s>(LONDON) — Glamour was shot through with grit at the British Academy Film Awards on Sunday.

Frothy musical "La La Land" took five prizes including best picture, but major awards also went to tough welfare-state drama "I, Daniel Blake" and fractured-family stories "Lion" and "Manchester by the Sea."

In keeping with an awards season that has coincided with a wrenching change of government in the United States, even "La La Land's" prizes came with a political tinge.

Accepting the best-actress trophy, Emma Stone said that in a divided world, it was vital to celebrate "the positive gift of creativity and how we can transcend borders and how we help people to feel a little less alone."

"La La Land" also took home prizes for director Damien Chazelle, original screenplay, music and cinematography.

Casey Affleck was named best actor for playing a grieving handyman in "Manchester by the Sea."

Affleck, who is also Oscar-nominated for the role, thanked writer-director Kenneth Lonergan for creating a film that "dignifies everyday lives and their struggles with great compassion."

The wintry New England drama also won Lonergan the prize for best original screenplay.

British actor Dev Patel pulled off an upset, beating favorite Mahershala Ali, from "Moonlight," to the best supporting actor trophy for "Lion."

The London-born Patel expressed shock at being a winner at a ceremony he used to watch on TV with his family.

He said "Lion," which co-stars Nicole Kidman is "a film, about family, about a love that transcends borders, race, color, anything."

He thanked his "amazing team, who had the insane task of trying to get this Indian dude, this noodle with wonky teeth and a lazy eye and floppy hair, work in this industry."

"Lion" also took the BAFTA for best adapted screenplay.

Loach's "I, Daniel Blake" was named best British film. The 80-year-old director used his acceptance speech to lambast the country's Conservative government.

Loach said his docudrama about a carpenter trying to get welfare after a heart attack shows that "the most vulnerable and the poorest people are treated by this government with a callous brutality that is disgraceful."

He was cheered by an audience at London's Royal Albert Hall that included Prince William, his wife, Kate, and nominees including Meryl Streep, Casey Affleck, Emma Stone and Nicole Kidman.

Both William and Kate wore black and white — he a tuxedo, she an off-the-shoulder Alexander McQueen gown and glittering chandelier earrings.

The U.K. awards, known as BAFTAs, are often seen as an indicator of who will win at Hollywood's Academy Awards, held two weeks later. "La La Land" already is a dominant force at the Oscars, with 14 nominations. It also has won seven Golden Globes.

But while the luscious musical was an academy favorite, academy voters also rewarded less escapist fare.

Viola Davis won the supporting actress BAFTA for "Fences," Denzel Washington's adaptation of August Wilson's stage drama about an African-American family.

A visibly moved Davis praised Wilson's play for showing "that our lives mattered as African Americans."

"The horse groomer, the sanitation worker, the people who grew up under the heavy boot of Jim Crow," she said. "The people who did not make it into history books, but they have a story — and those stories deserve to be told."

Ada DuVernay's film about mass incarceration in America, "The 13th," was named best documentary, and Laszlo Nemes' unbearably powerful Holocaust drama "Son of Saul" took the trophy for best foreign-language film.

The stars brought a dose of glamour to gray, wintry London, as hundreds of fans lined the red carpet outside the domed concert hall beside London's Hyde Park.

Many of those attending expected politics to make a guest appearance at the ceremony, as it has so often this awards season. Streep is among the stars who have used the awards stage to criticize President Donald Trump.

Master of ceremonies Stephen Fry joked about Trump's dismissal of Streep as overrated, declaring from the stage: "I look down on row after row of the most overrated people on the planet."

Prince William, who is also president of Britain's film academy, presented the academy's lifetime-achievement honor to veteran comedian Mel Brooks during Sunday's ceremony.

The 90-year-old entertainer said he would treasure the award.

"This is one of the awards you will not see on eBay ," he said.</s>In what is likely to be the deal at our Academy Awards, “La La Land” has swept the British BAFTAs.

Damien Chazelle has won Best Director, Emma Stone has Best Actress, and the movie’s music has won as well. “La La Land” is Best Picture as well.

Best Actor went to Casey Affleck, Supporting Actress went to Viola Davis for “Fences,” and in a nice surprise, Dev Patel won Best Supporting Actor for “Lion.”

Kenneth Lonergan won Best Original Screenplay for “Manchester.” “Lion” won Best Adapted Screenplay. Ava Duvernay’s “13th” won Best Documentary. “I Daniel Blake” was Best British Film.</s>LONDON (AP) — The Latest on the British Academy Film Awards (all times local): Dev Patel has won the best supporting actor prize at the British Academy Film Awards for playing a young man in search of his lost family in “Lion.” It’s was the film’s second prize of the evening at Britain’s equivalent of the Oscars. “Lion” also won for adapted screenplay. The London-born Patel expressed shock at being a winner at a ceremony he used to watch on television with his family. He said “Lion,” which co-stars Nicole Kidman, is “a film about family, about a love that transcends race, borders, color, anything.” Viola Davis has won the British Academy Film Award for best supporting actress for her performance in “Fences,” Denzel Washington’s adaptation of August Wilson’s stage drama about an African-American family. A visibly moved Davis praised Wilson’s play for showing “that our lives mattered as African Americans.” She said: “The horse groomer, the sanitation worker, the people who grew up under the heavy boot of Jim Crow. The people who did not make it into history books, but they have a story – and those stories deserve to be told.” The awards are Britain’s equivalent of the Oscars. Ada DuVernay’s film about mass incarceration in America, “The 13th,” has been named best documentary at the British Academy Film Awards. DuVernay’s feature film follow-up to her Oscar-nominated civil rights epic “Selma” explores the historic roots of the United States’ high incarceration rate. It takes its name from the section of the U.S. Constitution that abolished slavery “except as a punishment for crime.” The awards are taking place Sunday in London. “I, Daniel Blake,” director Ken Loach’s hard-hitting drama about a man caught in the U.K.’s labyrinthine welfare system, has been named best British picture at the British Academy Film Awards. The 80-year-old director used his speech to lambast Britain’s Conservative government, saying his gritty drama shows that “the most vulnerable and the poorest people are treated by this government with a callous brutality that is disgraceful.” Loach also branded the government’s decision to end a program bringing child refugees to Britain “a disgrace.” The best British picture prize was the first handed out Sunday at Britain’s equivalent of the Oscars. The musical “La La Land” has 11 nominations and is favored to win several awards. Viola Davis says being nominated for a best supporting actress award in Britain shows that playwright August Wilson “told a universal story of the everyman and American history” with “Fences.” Davis was seen as the favorite to win the British Academy Film Award in that category for Denzel Washington’s screen adaptation of Wilson’s stage drama about an African-American family. The U.K. awards, known as BAFTAs, are seen as an indicator of who will win at Hollywood’s Academy Awards, held two weeks later. Prince William and his wife, Kate, were due on the red carpet, along with other nominees, including Meryl Streep, Casey Affleck and Nicole Kidman. The stars brought a dose of glamor to gray, wintry London, as hundreds of fans lined the red carpet at Royal Albert Hall. Hollywood stars will mingle with British royalty at the British Academy Film Awards, where “La La Land” is favored to dance away with multiple trophies. Prince William and his wife Kate are expected on the red carpet at London’s Royal Albert Hall, along with nominees including Meryl Streep, Casey Affleck and Nicole Kidman. “La La Land,” an effervescent musical starring Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone, has 11 nominations, including best picture, best actor and best actress. The U.K. awards are often an indicator of who will win at Hollywood’s Academy Awards, held two weeks later. Prince William is due to present the British academy’s fellowship to veteran comedian Mel Brooks during Sunday’s ceremony. Hollywood stars mingled with British royalty on Sunday at the British Academy Film Awards, where “La La Land” was favored to dance away with multiple trophies. Prince William and his wife Kate were due on the red carpet at London’s Royal Albert Hall, along with nominees including Meryl Streep, Casey Affleck and Nicole Kidman. “La La Land,” an effervescent musical starring Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone, has 11 nominations, including best picture, best actor and best actress. The U.K. awards, known as BAFTAs, are often seen as an indicator of who will win at Hollywood’s Academy Awards, held two weeks later. “La La Land” already is a dominant force at the Oscars, with 14 nominations. It also has won seven Golden Globes. Viola Davis was seen as the favorite to win the best supporting actress BAFTA for “Fences,” Denzel Washington’s adaptation of August Wilson’s stage drama about an African-American family. Davis said being recognized in Britain was proof that Wilson “has told a universal story of the everyman and American history.” The stars brought a dose of glamor to gray, wintry London, as hundreds of fans lined the red carpet outside a domed concert hall beside London’s Hyde Park. Many of those attending expected politics to make a guest appearance at the ceremony, as it has so often this awards season. Streep is among the stars who have used the awards stage to criticize President Donald Trump. Barry Jenkins, director of best-picture nominee “Moonlight,” said, “People ought to speak from their heart. If there’s something you’ve got to say, then say it.” Prince William, who is also president of Britain’s film academy, was to present the academy’s lifetime-achievement honor to veteran comedian Mel Brooks during Sunday’s ceremony. And while the luscious “La La Land” was the favorite, academy voters could choose to reward less escapist fare. The philosophical sci-fi yarn “Arrival” and the psychological thriller “Nocturnal Animals” have nine BAFTA nominations each. Director Ken Loach’s gritty “I, Daniel Blake,” a stinging critique of Britain’s welfare system, was up for five awards. Best-picture contenders are “Arrival,” ”I, Daniel Blake,” ”La La Land,” the wrenching New England drama “Manchester By The Sea” and the Miami-set coming-of-age story “Moonlight.” The BAFTAs differ from their U.S. counterpart in having a separate category for best British film. Nominees in that category include “I, Daniel Blake”; the raucous road trip “American Honey”; the courtroom drama “Denial”; the wizarding adventure “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them”; the documentary “Notes on Blindness”; and the Iran-set horror film “Under the Shadow.” Gosling’s rivals in the best actor race were Andrew Garfield for “Hacksaw Ridge”; Casey Affleck for “Manchester by the Sea”; Jake Gyllenhaal for “Nocturnal Animals”; and Viggo Mortensen for “Captain Fantastic.” Best-actress contenders were Stone; Amy Adams for “Arrival”; Emily Blunt for “The Girl on the Train”; Meryl Streep for “Florence Foster Jenkins”; and Natalie Portman for “Jackie.”</s>LONDON: Hollywood musical "La La Land" picked up five British Bafta film awards on Sunday (Feb 12), including best director and actress, paving the way for Oscar success later this month.

The dreamy tribute to the heyday of Hollywood musicals was named best film, while also picking up gongs for cinematography and original music, in the ceremony at London's Royal Albert Hall.

Accepting the award for best director - beating off competition from the likes of Ken Loach and Tom Ford - Damien Chazelle said it was an "incredible honour" and a pleasure to be there along with those behind the film.

The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (Bafta) award for leading actress went to Emma Stone, who plays an aspiring actress in "La La Land" and took on a political tone in her acceptance speech.

"In a time that is so divisive I think it's really special we were all able to come together tonight, thanks to Bafta, and to celebrate the positive," she said.

A throwback to Hollywood's Golden Age, "La La Land" took home seven Golden Globes in January and has been nominated for 14 Oscars.

The best actor Bafta award went to Casey Affleck, for his role in the drama "Manchester By The Sea", beating Ryan Gosling who was nominated for "La La Land".

Affleck said he learnt to act while attending therapy sessions for children of alcoholics.

Kenneth Lonergan's "Manchester" also won the original screenplay award, which the director said he was "overwhelmed" to accept.

Flying the flag for UK filmmaking was Ken Loach's "I, Daniel Blake", which won the outstanding British film but lost out in four other categories.

Set in Newcastle, northeast England, the film tells of one man's battle against the bureaucracy of Britain's social welfare system.

Accepting the award for outstanding British film, 80-year-old Loach said filmmakers stand "with the people" and took aim at the government.

"The most unvulnerable and poorest are treated by the government with a callous brutality that is disgraceful," he said.

Ahead of the awards ceremony, he urged the public to become active in politics. "You should know which side you're on and why and get in and take part in politics. There is no time now to sit on the fence," he told AFP.

The glamorous ceremony was woven with political messages, beginning with host Stephen Fry making a jibe at US President Donald Trump who recently described veteran actress Meryl Streep as "overrated".

"I look at row after row of the most overrated people in the audience," quipped the actor, after stepping out at the end of an opening performance by Canadian-based Cirque du Soleil.

Anticipating the ceremony would be peppered with references to Washington and Westminster, actress Viola Davis said she supported filmmakers taking a stand.

"I especially like it in a profession that could be considered narcissistic. But also I think that's what we do as artists. We do, we're rebels, we make political statements," she told AFP, before picking up the best supporting actress award for "Fences".

Dev Patel, who was named best supporting actor for his role in "Lion", said he was already a winner before the ceremony.

"I already just feel so happy to be here. It sounds like a real cliché but I've got my whole family with me. I'm here on home turf at the Baftas wearing a tuxedo walking this red carpet. I feel like a winner," he told AFP outside the Royal Albert Hall.

Other guests braving the cold to walk the red carpet included Britain's Prince William and his wife Kate, whose London home Kensington Palace is close to the Royal Albert Hall.
La La Land wins five awards. I, Daniel Blake wins Best British Film. Emma Stone, Casey Affleck, Viola Davis and Dev Patel win in their respective acting categories.