"The King's Speech" triumphs at BAFTA awards

PanARMENIAN.Net - "The King's Speech," the breakout movie about a British monarch's triumph over a debilitating stutter, scored a knockout hometown victory Feb 13, winning best picture and all three acting categories for which it was nominated at Britain's top film awards.

The period drama landed seven of the 14 awards it was up for, including a statuette for Colin Firth as lead actor, further solidifying his status as the prohibitive favorite for the Oscar. Natalie Portman, who is pregnant and did not travel to the ceremony, was named lead actress for her turn in the ballet thriller "Black Swan," the film's sole win of the night, despite 12 nominations.

Geoffrey Rush and Helena Bonham Carter, who played speech therapist and wife to Firth's King George VI, took home the supporting actor and actress prizes.

The only major award to elude "The King's Speech" at the Orange British Academy Film Awards was director, for Tom Hooper. That honor went to David Fincher, who directed "The Social Network," which collected two other awards, including one for Aaron Sorkin for his adapted screenplay about the creation of Facebook, the Los Angeles Times reported.