The people have spoken! Empire readers have voted in their thousands, and this evening the Jameson Empire Awards – the antidote to mainstream film awards – rolled into town, with Star Wars: The Force Awakens and Mad Max: Fury Road emerging as the big winners.
In a glitzy London ceremony, hosted by comedian and actor David Walliams, the latest instalment in the Star Wars saga was named Best Sci-Fi/Fantasy film, and its two breakout stars, Daisy Ridley and John Boyega, were named Best Female Newcomer and Best Male Newcomer respectively. Both were in attendance to accept their awards; Ridley said in her acceptance speech it was "an amazing time to be a woman in film".
Director J.J. Abrams also won Best Director, and The Force Awakens was ultimately the biggest winner of the night, taking five gongs back to a galaxy far, far away. Mad Max: Fury Road was close behind with four, and Sam Mendes’ latest James Bond adventure Spectre, won two (Best British Film and Best Thriller).
In more than one category, the winners bucked the trends from the likes of the Oscars or BAFTAs: Leonardo DiCaprio, for example, won pretty much every award he was nominated for this year (and a few he wasn't), but here he was denied Best Actor. Instead, it was Matt Damon ruling the roost, for his charismatic turn in Ridley Scott’s The Martian. He accepted the award from his Bourne director Paul Greengrass.
The awards also paid tribute to some of Empire’s favourite people. Paddy Considine was presented the Empire Inspiration award by his frequent collaborator and friend Shane Meadows; Stanley ‘The Tucc’ Tucci took home the Empire Hero award; and Empire's editor Terri White led an emotional posthumous tribute to Empire Legend Alan Rickman.
All in all, it was quite a night. You can see full coverage of the ceremony, from live-blogs and galleries, by clicking right here. The full list of winners and nominees are below.
BEST MALE NEWCOMER
Winner: John Boyega (Star Wars: The Force Awakens)
Abraham Attah (Beasts Of No Nation)
Thomas Mann (Me And Earl And The Dying Girl)
Jason Mitchell (Straight Outta Compton)
Jacob Tremblay (Room)
BEST FEMALE NEWCOMER
Winner: Daisy Ridley (Star Wars: The Force Awakens)
Olivia Cooke (Me And Earl And The Dying Girl)
Rebecca Ferguson (Mission: Impossible — Rogue Nation)
Maika Monroe (It Follows)
Bel Powley (The Diary Of A Teenage Girl)
BEST SCI-FI/FANTASY
Winner: Star Wars: The Force Awakens
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay — Part 2
Jurassic World
Mad Max: Fury Road
The Martian
BEST COMEDY presented by Absolute Radio
Winner: Spy
Ant-Man
Me And Earl And The Dying Girl
Trainwreck
Inside Out
BEST HORROR
Winner: The Hallow
Crimson Peak
Insidious: Chapter 3
It Follows
Krampus
BEST THRILLER presented by Corinthia Hotel London
Winner: Spectre
Bridge Of Spies
The Gift
Mission: Impossible — Rogue Nation
Sicario
BEST BRITISH FILM presented by The Hollywood Reporter
Winner: Spectre
45 Years
Legend
Macbeth
Suffragette
JAMESON BEST ACTOR
Winner: Matt Damon (The Martian)
Leonardo DiCaprio (The Revenant)
Michael Fassbender (Macbeth/Steve Jobs)
Tom Hardy (Legend/Mad Max: Fury Road)
Michael B. Jordan (Creed)
BEST ACTRESS
Winner: Alicia Vikander (The Danish Girl)
Emily Blunt (Sicario)
Brie Larson (Room)
Jennifer Lawrence (The Hunger Games: Mockingjay — Part 2)
Charlize Theron (Mad Max: Fury Road)
BEST DIRECTOR
Winner: J.J. Abrams (Star Wars: The Force Awakens)
Ryan Coogler (Creed)
Alejandro González Iñárritu (The Revenant)
George Miller (Mad Max: Fury Road)
Ridley Scott (The Martian)
BEST FILM presented by Sky Movies
Winner: The Revenant
The Hateful Eight
Mad Max: Fury Road
The Martian
Star Wars: The Force Awakens
BEST TV SERIES
Winner: This Is England ’90
Marvel’s Daredevil
Fargo
Game Of Thrones
Marvel’s Jessica Jones
BEST SCREENPLAY
Winner: The Big Short — Adam McKay, Charles Randolph
The Hateful Eight – Quentin Tarantino
Spotlight — Tom McCarthy, Josh Singer
Steve Jobs – Aaron Sorkin
Trainwreck — Amy Schumer
BEST ANIMATED FILM
Winner: Inside Out
Minions
Shaun The Sheep The Movie
Song Of The Sea
The Tale Of The Princess Kaguya
BEST DOCUMENTARY
Winner: Amy
Going Clear: Scientology And The Prison Of Belief
He Named Me Malala
The Jinx: The Life And Deaths Of Robert Durst
Making A Murderer
BEST SOUNDTRACK
Winner: Mad Max: Fury Road
The Hateful Eight
The Martian
Sicario
Straight Outta Compton
BEST COSTUME DESIGN
Winner: Mad Max: Fury Road
Carol
Cinderella
Crimson Peak
Star Wars: The Force Awakens
BEST MAKE-UP AND HAIRSTYLING
Winner: Mad Max: Fury Road
Crimson Peak
The Danish Girl
The Revenant
Star Wars: The Force Awakens
BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
Winner: Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Ant-Man
Jurassic World
Mad Max: Fury Road
The Revenant
BEST SHORT FILM presented by Jameson Irish Whiskey
Winner: World Of Tomorrow
Kung Fury
Lava
Sanjay’s Super Team
Stutterer
BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN
Winner: Mad Max: Fury Road
Crimson Peak
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay — Part 2
The Martian
Star Wars: The Force Awakens
BEST GAME
Winner: Batman: Arkham Knight
Bloodborne
Fallout 4
Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
EMPIRE INSPIRATION
Paddy Considine
EMPIRE LEGEND
Alan Rickman
EMPIRE HERO
Stanley Tucci