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‘Brokeback Mountain’ star of UK film awards

“Brokeback Mountain,” already a hot favourite for next month’s Hollywood Oscars, was the big star of the night at the British Film Academy awards on Sunday, scooping four BAFTAs.

The gay cowboy love story won the coveted Best Film Award, Ang Lee was picked as Best Director, Jake Gyllenhaal was chosen as Best Supporting Actor and it also won the Best Adapted Screenplay statuette. “I didn’t have a specific message. I wasn’t trying to push any political issues. We are dealing here with love,” Lee told Reuters Television before accepting his award.

Gyllenhaal, flabbergasted by his triumph, shook his head in astonishment and said: “Who would have thought this would happen.” “It moved me like no other love story I have ever seen,” he said of the film for which he is also Oscar-nominated.

The film, which had taken Lee seven years to bring to the screen, faced tough competition in a strong year from “Capote,” “The Constant Gardener,” “Crash” and “Good Night, and Good Luck” to be picked as Best Film. Philip Seymour Hoffman took home the Best Actor BAFTA for his mesmerising portrayal of writer Truman Capote in “Capote” and Reese Witherspoon was selected as Best Actress for her role in the Johnny Cash biopic “Walk The Line”.

Accepting his award, Hoffman thanked his girlfriend Mimi O’Donnell, saying “I want to say I love her and she looks really hot tonight.” The Best Supporting Actress award went to British star Thandie Newton for her role in the low-budget racial drama “Crash.” “This is the highest high ever,” she said afterwards. “I don’t expect it to get any higher.”

The British film industry had great hopes for the stylish political thriller “The Constant Gardener” which garnered 10 nominations but its stars Ralph Fiennes and Rachel Weisz went home empty-handed. Another disappointed star was George Clooney who had been nominated four times in recognition of his directing, acting and writing skills in the McCarthy era drama “Goodnight, and Good Luck” and the Middle East thriller “Syriana.” “Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit,” another in line for Oscar glory in Hollywood next month, was chosen as The Best British Film of the Year, much to the delight of Nick Park, creator of the two plasticine pals.

The BAFTAs were shifted in 2001 from April to February to fall between the Golden Globes and the Oscars with organisers hoping to capture some Hollywood glitter in the packed awards calendar. But winning a top UK film industry award is certainly no guarantee of Oscar success. Last year, Clint Eastwood’s boxing drama “Million Dollar Baby” swept the board at the Oscars but failed to score at the BAFTAs after distributors refused to send out copies of the film to voters amid fears of piracy. reuters

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