Aviator and Vera Drake sweep the board at the BAFTAs

Martin Scorsese's sweeping Howard Hughes biopic, 'The Aviator' and low-budget back-street abortion drama, 'Vera Drake' were the main prizewinners at the 2005 Orange British Academy Film Awards (BAFTAs).

'The Aviator' was named best film and also collected awards for hair and make-up and production design. Australian actress, Cate Blanchett, who previously won a BAFTA for her role in 'Elizabeth', was named Best Supporting Actress for her role as Katherine Hepburn in the movie.

Mike Leigh won the award for Best Director for 'Vera Drake', while his star, Imelda Staunton, was named 'Best Actress, beating fellow British actress, Kate Winslet, who gained two nominations for her roles in 'Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind' and 'Finding Neverland'. The move also picked up an award for best costume design.

However, 'Vera Drake' failed to win Best British Film, losing out to 'My Summer of Love', a drama about the relationship between two young women in Yorkshire.

Jamie Foxx and Clive Owen repeated their Golden Globes success by collecting the best actor award for Ray Charles biopic, 'Ray' and relationship drama, 'Closer', respectively. Both actors are also nominated in the same categories at the Academy Awards ceremony next month.

'The Motorcycle Diaries', a biopic of the early years of revolutionary Che Guevara, was named best foreign film and also collected an award for best score.

Other winners included Charlie Kaufman, who won the best original screenplay award for 'Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind' and acclaimed independent comedy, 'Sideways', which took the award for best adapted screenplay. First time director, Amma Asante, also won the special achievement award for a debut British director, producer or writer, for the movie, 'A Way of Life', which she wrote and directed.

The Orange Film of the Year Award, the only award which is voted for by the public, went to the latest instalment in the popular Harry Potter series, 'Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban'.

The 2005 Orange British Academy Film Awards were presented by Stephen Fry at the Odeon, Leicester Square on Friday, February 12.

(KMcA/SP)