February 22nd sees the 79th British Academy Film Awards in London, one of the most prestigious award ceremonies on the film calendar. A BAFTA is the pinnacle of film achievement in the UK, a stamp of quality, and STUDIOCANAL Presents is the place to go to watch BAFTA-winners from decades past – directed by cinematic masters including Francis Ford Coppola, Carol Reed, David Lynch, Akira Kurosawa and Joseph Losey, and featuring the likes of Sigourney Weaver, Adrien Brody, Robert Downey Jr, John Hurt, Alec Guinness, Dirk Bogarde, Katharine Hepburn and Vanessa Redgrave. 

Here are just some of the BAFTA winners on STUDIOCANAL Presents you can stream right now, to compare to this year’s contenders…

Past Lives (2023) This Bafta-nominated smash hit, written and directed by Celine Song, is the story of two deeply connected childhood friends, who are wrestled apart after Nora’s family emigrates, and 20 years later, they are reunited for one fateful week.

The Ice Storm (1997) Ang Lee’s critically-acclaimed drama starring Kevin Kline (Chaplin), Joan Allen (The Bourne Supremacy, Manhunter) and Sigourney Weaver, who won the 1998 BAFTA for Supporting Actress for her role.

Ran (1985) Akira Kurosawa’s majestic take on Shakespeare’s King Lear, starring Tatsuya Nakadai as an ageing warlord bequeathing his power to his three sons, won BAFTA’s for Best Foreign Language Film and Best Make Up. A really stunning piece of cinema, which, if you haven’t seen, you must watch immediately, in a jaw-dropping 4K restoration. BAFTAs don’t lie!

The Pianist (2002) Adrien Brody was BAFTA nominated at the 2003 ceremony for his leading role in this devastating account of life in the Warsaw ghetto, which won Best Film and the David Lean Award for Direction. 

The Elephant Man (1980) David Lynch’s masterpiece, a moving biopic of the disfigured John Merrick and the Victorian surgeon who befriends him, is available to watch on the channel in a stunning 4K restoration. The film won BAFTAs for Best Film and Best Production Design, and John Hurt won a BAFTA for his remarkable and unforgettable starring role. 

The Go-Between (1971) Joseph Losey’s glorious period romance, starring Julie Christie and Alan Bates as illicit lovers, nabbed BAFTAs for Dominic Guard, for his title role, Harold Pinter, for his screenplay (adapted from L.P.Hartley’s novel), Edward Fox for Best Supporting Actor, and Margaret Leighton for Best Supporting Actress.

Forbidden Games (1952) René Clément (Gervaise) directs this acclaimed and poignant drama – that won the Best Film BAFTA in 1954 – about two children taking refuge during the start of the war in their own little world, and confronting the realities of death for the first time.

The Lion In Winter (1968) Katharine Hepburn nabbed the Best Actress BAFTA for her role in this lavish, historical drama about a plot against King Henry II, also starring Peter O’Toole (Lawrence of Arabia) and Anthony Hopkins (The Silence of the Lambs).

The Conversation (1974) Francis Ford Coppola’s acclaimed paranoid thriller, starring the great Gene Hackman (The French Connection), John Cazale (The Godfather) and Frederic Forrest (Apocalypse Now), won BAFTAs for Best Editing and Best Sound Track, for the legendary Walter Murch.

The Fallen Idol (1948) A Best British Film BAFTA-winning classic based on a Graham Greene story, starring Ralph Richardon (The Passionate Stranger) as a butler suspected of murder, directed by Carol Reed, a year before he would team up with Greene again for The Third Man.

The Ladykillers (1955) This marvellous Ealing black comedy, featuring a gang of villains – led by Alec Guinness – masquerading as classical musicians, won William Rose the Best British Screenplay award, while the wonderful Katie Johnson – who plays the elderly lady who rents the crooks their rooms – got Best British Actress.

The Third Man (1949) Carol Reed’s superb thriller, based on a story by Graham Green, and starring Joseph Cotten and Orson Welles, deservedly won Best British film at the 1950 ceremony. An endlessly rewatchable classic, the beautiful digitally restored version is available on STUDIOCANAL Presents. As soon as you hear the signature theme you’ll be hooked.

Room At The Top (1958) The Best British Film at the 1959 ceremony, this romantic drama stars Laurence Harvey as a man on the make getting involved with a married woman, Simon Signoret, who won Best Foreign Actress. It also won Best Film From Any Source, in this case John Braine’s bestselling ‘angry young man’ novel.

The Angry Silence (1961) Bryan Forbes, who would go on to direct the smash hit chiller The Stepford Wives, won Best British Screenplay for this gritty drama starring Richard Attenborough as a factory worker defying his union. 

Chaplin (1992) Richard Attenborough directed this biopic about the superstar comedian Charlie Chaplin, and pre-Iron Man Robert Downey Jr won the Best Actor award for playing the beloved performer. 

Apocalypse Now (1979) Francis Ford Coppola won the Best Direction BAFTA for his stunning Vietnam war epic, with stars Martin Sheen and Robert Duvall both BAFTA-nominated for their roles. You can watch the ‘Final Cut’ of this legendary epic on STUDIOCANAL Presents in 4K.

Orders To Kill (1958) Paul Massie (The Rebel) is a US pilot sent on a mission to assassinate a traitor in this gripping Paris-set World War Two thriller, that won multiple BAFTAs (Best Actress, Best British Screenplay and Most Promising Newcomer for Massie), directed by Anthony Asquith (The Winslow Boy).

Other BAFTA winning films on STUDIOCANAL Presents:  

The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie (1972)

The Blue Lamp (1950)

The Lavender Hill Mob (1951)

Cry, the Beloved Country (1952)

Casque D’Or (1952)

The Divided Heart (1954)

Hobson’s Choice (1950)

I’m All Right Jack (1959)

Darling (1965)

Vera Drake (2004)

Richard III (1955)

STUDIOCANAL Presents is available on Apple TV and Prime Video. 

The platform offers subscribers access to a wealth of exceptional film and television from the renowned and incomparable world-spanning library of Studiocanal, including stunning 4K restorations, timeless classics, and award-winning favourites. With film and TV exclusives added each month, and supported with a monthly podcast hosted by film experts, this is the streaming platform that delivers quality content for true film fans.