Celebrating their eighteenth year this year, the Jameson Empire Awards returned to London to bestow their annual honour upon the best in film from 2012.
The Empire Awards are one of the few that are voted for by the viewing public, with readers of Empire given the chance to vote for any and all of their favourite films in each of the categories from the previous year.
This time around, there were few surprises in London, with Sam Mendes and Skyfall taking home the top prizes tonight. Mendes himself took home the Best Director award, along with the Empire Inspiration Award, presented by Jameson Irish Whiskey. And Skyfall brought home Best Film, beating out some very tough competition from The Dark Knight Rises, The Avengers, Django Unchained, and The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.
Martin Freeman won Best Actor for his performance as Bilbo in The Hobbit, with Jennifer Lawrence beating out Anne Hathaway, Jessica Chastain, Judi Dench, and Naomi Watts to win Best Actress for her role as Katniss Everdeen in The Hunger Games.
Seth MacFarlane’s directorial debut, Ted, very much deservedly took home the Best Comedy award, with Ben Wheatley’s Sightseers coming away with Best British Film.
It’s always nice to see what tops the audiences’ favourite films, and it’s often very different to those handed out by the likes of the BAFTAs and the Oscars.
Skyfall looks to be a clear favourite from the past year, taking over a billion dollars around the world, two Oscars, two BAFTAs, and a Golden Globe. And now an Empire Award for Best Film is added to the long list of wins.
Danny Boyle, who directed the Opening Ceremony for the 2012 Summer Olympics, was also honoured tonight with the Empire Outstanding Contribution Award. Boyle’s latest film, Trance, arrives in theatres this week in the UK (and on April 5th in the US), and we’re looking forward to seeing him return behind the camera for his first film since 2010’s 127 Hours.
For now, here’s the full list of winners. And we’ll have our interviews with Sam Mendes, the Bond producers, and many more up later.
Best Film presented by Sky Movies
- Skyfall
- Django Unchained
- Avengers Assemble
- The Dark Knight Rises
- The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Best Director presented by Monitor Audio
- Sam Mendes (Skyfall)
- Christopher Nolan (The Dark Knight Rises)
- Joss Whedon (Avengers Assemble)
- Peter Jackson (The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey)
- Quentin Tarantino (Django Unchained)
Jameson Best Actor
- Martin Freeman (The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey)
- Christoph Waltz (Django Unchained)
- Daniel Craig (Skyfall)
- Daniel Day-Lewis (Lincoln)
- Robert Downey Jr. (Avengers Assemble)
Best Actress presented by Citroën
- Jennifer Lawrence (The Hunger Games)
- Anne Hathaway (The Dark Knight Rises)
- Jessica Chastain (Zero Dark Thirty)
- Dame Judi Dench (Skyfall)
- Naomi Watts (The Impossible)
Best Comedy presented by Magic 105.4
- Ted
- 21 Jump Street
- Moonrise Kingdom
- The Pirates! In An Adventure With Scientists!
- Silver Linings Playbook
Best Science-Fiction/Fantasy
- The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
- Dredd 3D
- Looper
- Avengers Assemble
- Prometheus
Best Thriller presented by Vue Entertainment
- Headhunters
- Argo
- Skyfall
- The Raid
- Zero Dark Thirty
Best Horror presented by Café de Paris
- The Woman In Black
- Dark Shadows
- Sightseers
- Sinister
- The Cabin In The Woods
The Art Of 3D presented by RealD
- Dredd 3D
- Life Of Pi
- Avengers Assemble
- Prometheus
- The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Best British Film presented by Tresor Paris
- Sightseers
- Dredd 3D
- Les Misérables
- Skyfall
- The Woman In Black
Best Male Newcomer presented by Entertainment Tonight
- Tom Holland (The Impossible)
- Domhnall Gleeson (Anna Karenina)
- Rafe Spall (Life Of Pi)
- Steve Oram (Sightseers)
- Suraj Sharma (Life Of Pi)
Best Female Newcomer
- Samantha Barks (Les Misérables)
- Alice Lowe (Sightseers)
- Alicia Vikander (Anna Karenina)
- Holliday Grainger (Great Expectations)
- Quvenzhané Wallis (Beasts Of The Southern Wild)
Empire Inspiration Award presented by Jameson Irish Whiskey
- Sam Mendes
Empire Legend
- Helen Mirren
Empire Hero
- Daniel Radcliffe
Empire Outstanding Contribution
- Danny Boyle
