The BAFTAs loved 1917 and Joaquin Phoenix made a point to criticize the show's lack of diversity

By Sam Barsanti | February 2, 2020 | 10:46pm

Aux Features Film

The BAFTAs loved 1917 and Joaquin Phoenix made a point to criticize the show's lack of diversity

Photo: Gareth Cattermole

The Big Game is happening this evening over here in the United States, but across the pond they had a “big game” of their own: The BAFTAs, a.k.a. the British Academy Of Film And Television’s Film Awards, were held today, offering us a preview of what we might see from the Oscars (but with a more charming accent). The big winner at the BAFTAs this year was Sam Mends’ 1917, which makes sense given the accolades it has already received and the fact that it’s a very British movie about brave British guys in World War I. 1917 cleaned up at the ceremony, winning seven awards—including Best Film and Best Director. Joker followed it up with three wins, including Best Actor, Best Original Score, and the casting award. Parasite also landed a couple nice awards, specifically Best Original Screenplay and Best Film Not In The English Language (it’s the BAFTAs).

Going back to Joker, star Joaquin Phoenix had some stuff to say when he accepted his Best Actor award. The BAFTAs this year had been under scrutiny for lack of diversity following a #BAFTAsSoWhite backlash, and Phoenix noted in his speech that he felt “conflicted” accepting the award because of the lack of diversity among nominees, saying, “I think we send a very clear message to people of color that you’re not welcome here” when they don’t get acknowledged the same way white actors do. Phoenix went on to say that he’s “part of the problem” and that “it is the obligation of the people that have created and perpetuate and benefit from a system of oppression to be the ones that dismantle it.”