Jacques Audiard’s Spanish musical “Emilia Pérez” took home the prize for best film not in the English language at the BAFTA Awards on Sunday night, despite controversy over star Karla Sofía Gascón’s offensive tweets.
In his acceptance speech, Audiard still thanked the BAFTA-nominated Gascón — who was absent from the ceremony and has effectively been removed from the awards campaign — and sent her a kiss.
“Above all, I would like to thank all the wonderful artists who brought this film to life and who are here with us tonight,” he said, speaking through an interpreter. “My dear Zoe, my dear Selena, Giorgini, Paul, Juliet, Camille, Clement, Julia and your team, but also you, my dear Karla Sofia, that I kiss. I’m deeply proud of what we achieved together. Long live ‘Emilia Pérez’!”
Voting for the BAFTAs closed last Tuesday but had been open since the beginning of January, meaning that many could have cast their ballots in favor of “Emilia Pérez” before the controversy surrounding Gascón kicked off a couple of weeks ago.
A week after Gascón’s tweets — in which she attacked Islam, George Floyd and a more diverse Oscars — were uncovered, Audiard gave an interview to Variety‘s sister publication Deadline in which he disavowed the best actress contender, saying that he “hasn’t spoken to her” and calling her “self-destructive.”
Zoe Saldaña also thanked Gascón in her acceptance speech after winning best supporting actress, though less directly. “This was a creative challenge of a lifetime. How do you begin to even approach a film that just defies categorization, and you start by taking the lead with Jacques Audiard,” she said. “I want to thank my wonderful cast, Karla, Selena, Adriana… Films are supposed to change hearts and challenge minds. And I hope that ‘Emilia Pérez’ did something like this, please, because voices need to be heard.”
The British Academy had previously revealed that Gascón wasn’t expected the attend the awards, having released a lineup of guests from which she was absent. This came after the Spaniard — who became the first openly transgender actress to be BAFTA- and Oscar-nominated — issued another apology saying she hoped that her “silence will allow the film to be appreciated for what it is, a beautiful ode to love and difference.”
