BAFTA 2022 Film Awards: No Time To Die’s Lashana Lynch wins the Rising Star award

Lashana Lynch won the Rising Star award at the BAFTA 2022 Film Awards. 

The actress, who played MI6 agent Nomi in the latest Bond film, No Time To Die, took to the stage at London‘s Royal Albert Hall on Sunday to accept the award.

Lashana, 34, lauded her ‘supportive’ parents and her ‘working-class foundation’ for teaching her everything, and thanked the women that came before her for ‘laying the foundation’.

Lashana accepted her award and said: ‘Thank you everyone who voted. I don’t know how people don’t stand up here and not cop their heart out.

‘I have very supportive parents, whose parents came here through the windrush generation. I have them to thank for my existence.

‘I’m grateful for coming from a working-class foundation that has taught me everything I need to know about failure, about “nos” and what “nos” mean and how to celebrate your “yeses”. Now I get to celebrate a yes that never expected.’ 

‘I’d like to thank the women of this country who taught me what it’s like to be in this industry as a dark skinned woman. I thank you for laying the foundation for people like me.’  

Speaking backstage, the actress revealed she was going to give the trophy to her mother because ‘I don’t know what to do with it’. 

The nominations for the Academy’s 75th awards were announced last month with Dune, The Power Of The Dog and Belfast leading with 11, eight and six respectively.

Denis Villeneuve’s star-studded sci-fi epic landed a slew of technical nods, along with a nod for the top prize for Best Film, while Jane Campion’s dark Western and Kenneth Branagh’s Irish biopic follows close behind with eight and six respectively.

While the Academy once again recognised three women in the Director’s shortlist, this year’s nominations fell short on BAFTA’s vow to improve diversity, with only seven people of colour nominated in contrast to last year’s 12.

It was evening in the acting categories, with Lady Gaga, Caitriona Balfe and Benedict Cumberbatch battling it out for the leading honours, alongside newcomers Kodi Smit-McPhee, Ariana DeBose and Adeel Akhtar.

While many of Dune’s nominations came in the technical categories, it’s also landed a nod for Best Film, alongside Belfast, Don’t Look Up, Licorice Pizza and The Power of the Dog.

The critically-acclaimed film, the first of two films based on Frank Herbert’s 1965 novel, had been tipped for awards glory, with Hans Zimmer once again recognised in the Original Score category, along with nods for Casting, Cinematography, Editing, Production Design, Costume Design, Makeup and Hair, Sound and Special Visual Effects. 

After its success at the Golden Globes, the dark Western The Power of the Dog landed eight nominations, including Best Film, Director and Adapted Screenplay for Jane Campion, Leading Actor for Benedict Cumberbatch, Original Score, Cinematography, and two nominations in the Supporting Actor category for Kodi Smit-McPhee and Jesse Plemons

Following close behind is Belfast, which landed six nods despite an unexpected snub for Kenneth in the Director category. 

The drama, which stars Jamie Dornan, Judi Dench and newcomer Jude Hill and is based on Kenneths’ childhood growing up in Northern Ireland at the height of The Troubles, was also nominated for Outstanding British Film, Original Screenplay, Supporting Actress for Caitriona, Supporting Actor for Ciarán Hinds and Editing.

Following the surprise BAFTA success of 2012’s Skyfall, the British Academy also recognised Daniel Craig’s swan song in the James Bond franchise, with five nominations.

The action-packed epic, which was delayed multiple times due to the Covid pandemic, landed nods for Outstanding British Film, Special Visual Effects, Editing, Cinematography and Sound.

In the Outstanding British Film category, Belfast and No Time To Die fought it out for the honour alongside After Love, Ali & Ava, Boiling Point, Cyrano, Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, House of Gucci, Last Night in Soho, and Passing.

The shortlist for Leading Actress prize comprised Lady Gaga (House of Gucci), Alana Haim (Licorice Pizza), Emilia Jones (Coda), Renate Reinsve (The Worst Person in the World), Joanna Scanlan (After Love), and Tessa Thompson (Passing).

Adeel Akhtar (Ali & Ava), Mahershala Ali (Swan Song), Benedict Cumberbatch (The Power of the Dog), Leonardo DiCaprio (Don’t Look Up), Stephen Graham (Boiling Point) and Will Smith (King Richard) were shortlisted for the Leading Actor award.

Nominated for Best Supporting Actress were Caitríona Balfe (Belfast), Jessie Buckley (The Lost Daughter), Ariana Debose (West Side Story), Ann Dowd (Mass), Aunjanue Ellis (King Richard) and Ruth Negga (Passing).

Mike Faist (West Side Story), Ciarán Hinds (Belfast), Troy Kotsur (Coda), Woody Norman (C’mon C’mon), Jesse Plemons (The Power Of The Dog), Kodi Smit-Mcphee (The Power Of The Dog) landed nods for Supporting Actor.

All of the performers in the Supporting Actor category were first-time nominees, with a total of 19 out of the 24 nominees for acting accolades earning their place on the shortlist for the first time.

Disney’s critically-lauded musical Encanto led the nominations for Animated Film, competing opposite Flee, Luca and The Mitchells Vs The Machines.

However, despite vows to improve diversity among the stars being nominated, this year’s list of nods fell short on 2021, with seven people of colour nominated as opposed to last year’s 12.