UNITED KINGDOM: 'SECRETS AND LIES' TRIUMPHS AT THE LONDON FILM CRITICS' CIRCLE AWARDS (ALFS)

Record ID: 858108

  • Title: UNITED KINGDOM: 'SECRETS AND LIES' TRIUMPHS AT THE LONDON FILM CRITICS' CIRCLE AWARDS (ALFS)
  • Date: 2nd March 1997
  • Summary: EWAN MCGREGOR GETTING AWARD FOR BEST BRITISH ACTOR
  • Embargoed: 17th March 1997 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: LONDON, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM
  • City:
  • Country: United Kingdom
  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVABZ58JCTE8S8RSE5C543D1F26A
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  • Story Text: Secrets and Lies actress Brenda Blethyn has triumphed at another award ceremony.
    She was named Best Actress by the London Film Critics' Circle and Mike Leigh's darkly comic study of a family in crisis was Best British Film.
    Blethyn has already been named Best Actress at the Cannes Film Festival last year and at the Golden Globe Awards in Los Angeles, precursors to this month's Oscars, in which she also had a Best Actress nomination.
    Trainspotting won Best British Producer and Best British Actor for Ewan McGregor, although he shared his award with Sir Ian McKellen.
    Leigh went up with Blethyn and co-star Timothy Spall to collect the Best Film Award at the Cafe Royal in London.
    "It's especially wonderful to be honoured in your home town," Leigh said.
    McGregor, picking up his joint Best Actor award for his work in Brassed Off, The Pillow Book and Emma as well as Trainspotting, paid tribute to one of the Secrets and Lies team when he said: "At the risk of sounding sycophantic, I would like to thank Timothy Spall for one of the best performances of last year." Blethyn said depicting Cynthia, the troubled single mother of Secrets and Lies, had been a gruelling contrast with her own fortunate life.
    "I didn't know whether to be happy or sad," she said. "It was a bit of a struggle actually and I felt quite depressed." Of the Oscar ceremony later this month - Secrets and Lies has five nominations - she said: "Wouldn't it be wonderful if old Cynthia could be there enjoying it?" Leigh said he did not feel particularly patriotic about the number of British films highly nominated this year.
    "I think what's important is that out htere in the world we are making independent films," he said. "Some of us are making British independent films and some of them have come from elsewhere." "They're not getting interference from executives, idiots and boneheads and that's what's important." Veterans of the British cinema scene Norman Wisdom and Sir John Mills each received a standing ovation on collecting their lifetime achievement awards.
    Internationally, Fargo picked up the lion's share of awards. It was Best Film, Joel and Ethan Coen were Best Screenwriters and Frances McDormand was Best Actress.
    Other awards were: Best Actor - Morgan Freeman in Seven British Screenwriter - Emma Thompson for Sense and Sensibility British Newcomer - Emily Watson for Breaking the Waves Foreign Language Film - Les Miserables Special lifetime achievement award for comedy - Norman Wisdom Special lifetime achievement award for direction - Fred Zinnemann Special lifetime achievement award - Director Jack Cardiff Dilys Powell award for life achievement - Sir John Mills
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