| 2nd British Academy Film Awards | |
|---|---|
| Date | 29 May 1949 |
| Site | Odeon Theatre, Leicester Square, London |
| Highlights | |
| Best Film | Hamlet |
| Best British Film | The Fallen Idol |
| Most awards | Hamlet , The Fallen Idol (1) |
| Most nominations | Hamlet , The Fallen Idol (2) |
The 2nd British Academy Film Awards, known retroactively as the British Academy Film Awards, were given by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) (known then as the British Film Academy) on 29 May 1949 at the Odeon Leicester Square, and honoured the best films of 1948. [1] The awards for 1947 were presented at the same ceremony. [2]
As with the awards for films from 1947, films from 1948 were eligible for the categories Best Film from any Source, British or Foreign and Best British Picture; these were won by Hamlet and The Fallen Idol , respectively. Additionally three new award categories were created: Best Documentary Picture, a "Special Award for work lying outside the feature and documentary fields", and the "United Nations Award for the best documentary or feature film illustrating one of the basic principles of the United Nation's [sic] Charter". [1] [3]
At the event, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences also presented awards to British filmmakers for their work on Hamlet and The Red Shoes , [1] in categories that they had won at the 21st Academy Awards.
British films The Fallen Idol and Hamlet received the awards for Best British Film and Best Film from any Source, respectively, and were additionally nominated in both categories; Louisiana Story received the award for Best Documentary; Atomic Physics received the Special Award for Film; and the United Nations Award was handed out to Atomic Physics , Hungry Minds and screenplay The Winslow Boy .
Winners are listed first and highlighted in boldface; the nominees are listed below alphabetically and not in boldface. [3]
| Best British Picture | Best Film from any Source |
|---|---|
| Best Documentary Picture | Special Award for Film |
|
|
The category is described as being for "the best film embodying one or more of the principles of the United Nations Charter in 1949". No winner was awarded. [b]
Take a look inside the pages of the brochure for the British Film Academy Awards presented on 29 May, 1949, covering excellence in film from 1947-48.[The 13th brochure image on that page (archived copy), headed "The Academy Awards 1947-1948", features the note: "ERRATUM: Page 3. The day and place of the Awards Presentation was changed to Sunday, May 29th, at the Odeon Cinema, Leicester Square." The page shown in that image also notes the different award categories between 1947 and 1948, that Michael Balcon was Chair, and that Henry Moore sculpted the statuettes.]
