Sen George Brandis Cheers Cate Blanchett, Baz Luhrmann for BAFTA Awards
Attorney-General for Australia Minister for the Arts George Brandis congratulates Australian talents who won BAFTA Awards. He acknowledged the many Australians' talent and creativity, both working on screen and behind the camera that brought pride for the country.
He said he was also looking forward for more Australian talents to be recognised in the international screen for 2014 awards season. He wished that those nominated for an Academy Award the best of luck for the March Awards ceremony.
"Today, on behalf of the Australian Government, I congratulate the three Australians whose work has been recognised at the 67th British Academy Film Awards, presented by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA).
Congratulations to Cate Blanchett, winner of the British Academy Film Award for Best Actress for Blue Jasmine. Ms Blanchett recently won the Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Motion Picture and is nominated for an Academy Award for her extraordinary performance in Blue Jasmine," Mr Brandis said.
He also congratulated Baz Luhrman and his team for "The Great Gatsby"---Catherine Martin and Beverly Dunn for Best Production Design, and Catherine Martin for Best Costume Design who are also nominated for Academy Awards for their work on "The Great Gatsby."
He also lauded the Australian visual effects company Rising Sun Pictures for its work on "Gravity," winner of Best British Film.
Winning the BAFTA awards for the Best Actress category, out winning Judi Dench for "Philomena," Emma Thompson for "Saving Mr Banks," Sandra Bullock for "Gravity" and Amy Adma's for "American Hustle," gave Blanchett a chance to bag her second Academy Award.
Blanchett, in her speech, dedicated the award to her friend Philip Seymour Hoffman whom she referred to as the "a monumental presence who is now sadly an absence."
"You raised the bar continually so very, very high and I guess all we can do in your absence is to try and raise it continually through our work. So Phil, buddy, this is for you, you bastard, I hope you are proud," Blanchett said.