Bafta Film Awards 2021 Kick Off With Duke Of Edinburgh Tribute

The biggest night in the British film calendar, the Baftas, has kicked off with a tribute to the organisation’s first president, the Duke of Edinburgh.

Co-host Edith Bowman said Prince Philip “occupies a very special place in Bafta’s history, and our thoughts are with the Royal Family”.

The prince was president of the British film and TV academy from 1959 to 1966.

Some craft winners were revealed on Saturday, with the main ceremony now taking place at the Royal Albert Hall.

Because of the pandemic, the winners are delivering their acceptance speeches remotely.

Two films received the most nominations with seven each – Rocks, a low-budget British film starring a group of teenage girls, many of whom had not acted before; and Nomadland, which stars Frances McDormand as a US woman living a nomadic life in a van after the financial crash.