52nd British Academy Film Awards

52nd British Academy Film Awards
Date11 April 1999
SiteBusiness Design Centre
Hosted byJonathan Ross
Highlights
Best FilmShakespeare in Love
Best British FilmElizabeth
Best ActorRoberto Benigni
Life Is Beautiful
Best ActressCate Blanchett
Elizabeth
Most awardsElizabeth (5)
Most nominationsShakespeare in Love (15)

The 52nd British Academy Film Awards, more commonly known as the BAFTAs, took place on 11 April 1999 at the Business Design Centre in London, honouring the best national and foreign films of 1998. Presented by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts, accolades were handed out for the best feature-length film and documentaries of any nationality that were screened at British cinemas in 1998.[1][2][3]

Shakespeare in Love won the award for Best Film (and previously won the Academy Award for Best Picture) and three other awards. Elizabeth was voted Outstanding British Film. Both Cate Blanchett and Judi Dench won awards for their portrayals of Queen Elizabeth I, while Geoffrey Rush won the award for Best Supporting Actor. Italian actor Roberto Benigni won the award for Best Actor in a Leading Role for his performance in Life Is Beautiful; he previously won the Academy Award for Best Actor. Peter Weir, director of The Truman Show, won for his direction.

The nominations were announced on 1 March 1999 and the ceremony was hosted by Jonathan Ross.[4] Elizabethan films received an overall total of twenty-eight nominations, winning nine.[5]

  1. ^ "Shakespeare and Elizabeth dominate Baftas". BBC News. 12 April 1999. Retrieved 13 June 2022.
  2. ^ "And the Bafta for saddest Oscar loser goes to..." The Guardian. 6 April 1999. Retrieved 13 June 2022.
  3. ^ Barnes, Anthony (11 April 1999). "Elizabeth beats Will at BAFTAs". The Independent. Retrieved 13 June 2022.
  4. ^ Lister, David (2 March 1999). "And the Bafta nominations are..." The Independent. Retrieved 13 June 2022.
  5. ^ "Elizabethan dramas named for 28 Baftas". The Guardian. 1 March 1999. Retrieved 13 June 2022.