On Sunday evening (March 13), Baftas 2022 host Rebel Wilson drew cheers and applause from the audience for her joke about Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Introducing Emilia Jones, the star of the film CODA about a child of deaf adults, she explained that there were two interpreters on stage, one for American Sign Language and one for British.
She then raised her middle finger and said, “Fortunately, in all sign languages, this is Putin’s gesture.”
This joke was well received by the audience, many of whom made statements of solidarity with Ukraine in connection with the Russian invasion of the country, speaking to the press and accepting awards.
Benedict Cumberbatch said on the red carpet that he hopes to take part in a government scheme to provide housing for Ukrainian refugees.
“Everyone should do as much as they can,” he said. “There has been a record number of people taking people home voluntarily and I hope to be a part of that myself.”
At this year’s BAFTA Awards, held at the Royal Albert Hall in London, Denis Villeneuve’s sci-fi epic Dune topped the list with 11 nominations, followed by Jane Campion’s western The Power of the Dog with a total of eight nominations.
Rebel Wilson takes on the Baftas
(Guy Levy/Shutterstock for BAFTA)
See the full list of winners here.
You can follow the Russian-Ukrainian crisis on The Independent’s live blog here.
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