The Baftas 2009

The Baftas used to take place after the Oscars but then the British Academy results were perceived as a bit of an irrelevance so they moved them to a date a week or two before their American counterpart so as to play an important role for award betting enthusiasts in foreshadowing the likely Oscar victors. Of course, the Golden Globes come a week or two before our award ceremony and they now act to foretell what the likely Bafta outcome will be.

Some years there are two or three films worthy of contention and each award ceremony will select a film that is felt best promotes it’s own identity – The Baftas will favour a film that has great artistic depth while the Oscars seeks to reward work of exalted moral message – thus reflecting the variation in sophistication of the two countries. The Golden Globes? Who knows what they stand for? Fifty foreign journalists vote for these awards while six thousand industry professionals vote for each of the UK and US prizes.

Every now and again, however, a film comes along that makes all this irrelevant and 2009 is one of those years. ‘Slumdog Millionaire’, a film by ‘Trainspotting’ director, Danny Boyle has captured the market and will clean-up at all award shows this year. Priced at 1/3 across the board, there is no competition. The film even gave Danny Boyle Best Director over the likes of Ron Howard and Sam Mendes at the Globes, much to everyone’s amazement.

The other certainty is that Kate Winslett will win Best Actress everywhere. Her performances in ‘Revolutionary Road’ and ‘The Reader’ gave her two gongs, Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress, at the Globes although she is up against herself at the Baftas, the Brits having decided that she is the lead in both films. Either way she will win . . . all Bafta betting fans have to decide is for which film. Less certain, and therefore yielding decent odds, are Mickey Rourke for Best Actor and Wall-E for best animation.