51st British Academy Awards

Last night saw the 51st Bafta ceremony and yet more surprises in store for the film world as Cate Blanchett beat 25-year-old Gwyneth Paltrow to the Best Actress award and Roberto Benigni showed fine form as he once again cobbled together some obscure words for receiving Best Actor for La Vita e Bella, saying to the star-studded audience in typically exuberant fashion, "I full of joy, like a water melon - I cannot restrain it. It is so beautiful to be here. I am really very happiful." Blanchett gave a dignified speech over her Best Actress saying, "i'mdeeply shocked to be standing here. This is an enormous offer." Dame Judi Dench took the Best Supporting Actress for the second time in as many months but was unable to attend due to her current stage work in New York. The award winners were as follows: Best Film Shakespeare in Love - David Parfitt/Donna Gigliotti/Harvey Weinstein/Edward Zwick/Marc Norman The David Lean Award for Best Achievement in Direction Truman Show, The - Peter Weir The Alexander Korda Award for the Outstanding British Film of the Year Elizabeth - Alison Owen/Eric Fellner/Tim Bevan **Best Screenplay (Original) ** Truman Show, The - Andrew Niccol **Best Screenplay (Adapted) ** Primary Colors - Elaine May **Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role ** Blanchett, Cate - Elizabeth **Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role ** Benigni, Roberto - La Vita Bella **Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role ** Dench, Judi - Shakespeare in Love **Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role ** Rush, Geoffrey - Shakespeare in Love **Best Film not in the English Language ** Central Do Brasil - Arthur Cohn/Martine De Clermont-Tonnerre/Walter Salles **The Anthony Asquith Award for Achievement in Film Music ** Elizabeth - David Hirschfelder **Best Cinematography ** Elizabeth - Remi Adefarasin **Best Production Design ** Truman Show, The - Dennis Gassner **Best Costume Design ** Velvet Goldmine - Sandy Powell **Best Editing ** Shakespeare In Love - David Gamble **Best Sound ** Saving Private Ryan - Gary Rydstrom/Ronald Judkins/Gary Summers/Andy Nelson/Richard Hymns **Best Achievement in Special Visual Effects ** Saving Private Ryan **Best Make Up/Hair ** Elizabeth - Jenny Shircore Best Short Animated Film The Canterbury Tales - Aida Zyablikova/Renat Zinnurov/Ashley Potter/Dave Antrobus/Claire Jennings **Best Short Film ** Home - Hannah Lewis/Morag McKinnon/Colin McLaren ** Orange Audience Award for Most Popular Film ** Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels