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42nd British Academy Film Awards (1989)
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BAFTA 1989 Winners & Nominees

The 42nd British Academy Film Awards (1989) took place on March 19, 1989. The Last Emperor won Best Film and 2 more awards. Empire of the Sun matched it with 3 wins. Every winner and nominee in all 17 categories is below.

All 17 categories Most wins
categories
17
nominations
59
films nominated
15
winners
14
Held on
Best Film
The Last Emperor
Headline winners

BAFTA 1989: The Winners

The Last Emperor won Best Film against 3 other nominees. Louis Malle (Best Director), John Cleese (Best Actor) and Michael Palin (Best Supporting Actor) took the main individual prizes.

The Last Emperor (1987) movie poster Best Film

Best Film

The Last Emperor

1987 · Biography, Drama, History · $44M worldwide

With Bernardo Bertolucci

3 wins from 11 nominations at the 42nd British Academy Film Awards (1989)

  • Best Costume Design
  • Best Makeup and Hair

This epic biographical drama chronicles the life of China's last emperor, Pu Yi, portrayed by John Lone. The film explores his privileged upbringing within the Forbidden City, showcasing the opulence and grandeur of imperial life. It follows his journey through the dramatic changes in China, from the fall of the Qing Dynasty to his imprisonment and subsequent rehabilitation as a war criminal in 1950. Through Pu Yi’s experiences, the film offers a poignant look at the collapse of an empire and the shifting dynamics of power.

About The Last Emperor
Scoreboard

BAFTA 1989: Which Films Won the Most

The Last Emperor and Empire of the Sun won 3 awards each. 9 films won at least once, while Moonstruck went home empty-handed from 4 nominations. Green is wins, blue is nominations.

  1. The Last Emperor (1987) movie poster
    The Last Emperor 3 / 11
    1987 · Biography, Drama · 3 wins from 11 nominations
  2. Empire of the Sun (1987) movie poster
    Empire of the Sun 3 / 6
    1987 · Action, Drama · 3 wins from 6 nominations
  3. A Fish Called Wanda (1988) movie poster
    A Fish Called Wanda 2 / 9
    1988 · Comedy, Crime · 2 wins from 9 nominations
  4. Babette's Feast (1988) movie poster
    Babette's Feast 1 / 6
    1988 · Drama · 1 win from 6 nominations
  5. Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988) movie poster
    Who Framed Roger Rabbit 1 / 5
    1988 · Mystery, Fantasy · 1 win from 5 nominations
  6. Au Revoir les Enfants (1988) movie poster
    Au Revoir les Enfants 1 / 4
    1988 · Drama, War · 1 win from 4 nominations
  7. Fatal Attraction (1987) movie poster
    Fatal Attraction 1 / 3
    1987 · Drama, Thriller · 1 win from 3 nominations
  8. The Unbearable Lightness of Being (1988) movie poster
    The Unbearable Lightness of Being 1 / 1
    1988 · Drama, Romance · 1 win from 1 nomination
  9. Tucker: The Man and His Dream (1988) movie poster
    Tucker: The Man and His Dream 1 / 1
    1988 · Biography, Drama · 1 win from 1 nomination
  10. Moonstruck (1987) movie poster
    Moonstruck 0 / 4
    1987 · Drama, Comedy · 0 wins from 4 nominations
Full results

All 17 BAFTA 1989 Categories: Winners & Nominees

17 categories and 59 nominations. The winner of each comes first, on a green row. Search for a film or a person, show only the winners, or jump straight to a category.

17 categories · 59 nominations

Jump to a category
By genre

The Genres Behind the BAFTA 1989 Winners

Drama led with 43 nominations across 12 films and won 11. A film with several genres counts for each one.

  1. Drama 11 wins · 43 nominations · 26%
  2. Comedy 3 wins · 22 nominations · 14%
  3. History 6 wins · 17 nominations · 35%
  4. Biography 4 wins · 16 nominations · 25%
  5. Crime 3 wins · 16 nominations · 19%
  6. War 4 wins · 12 nominations · 33%
  7. Action 3 wins · 8 nominations · 38%
  8. Fantasy 1 win · 8 nominations · 13%
  9. Romance 1 win · 6 nominations · 17%
  10. Thriller 1 win · 5 nominations · 20%
1989 season

How the Rest of the 1989 Awards Season Voted

The other 4 ceremonies of 1989, with the winner of each top prize.

All 1989 awards
Earlier years

Previous BAFTA Ceremonies

The 6 ceremonies before this one, with the winner of each top prize. The BAFTA page has every year back to 1949.

Every BAFTA ceremony

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FAQ

BAFTA 1989: Questions & Answers

The top prize, the film that won the most, the most-nominated film, the individual winners and the date of the 42nd British Academy Film Awards (1989), answered from the results on this page.

Who won Best Film at the 42nd British Academy Film Awards (1989)?

The Last Emperor (1987) won Best Film. The other nominees were Au Revoir les Enfants, Babette's Feast and A Fish Called Wanda.

About The Last Emperor

Which film won the most awards at the 42nd British Academy Film Awards (1989)?

The Last Emperor and Empire of the Sun each won 3 awards.

Which film had the most nominations at the 42nd British Academy Film Awards (1989)?

The Last Emperor (1987) led with 11 nominations and won 3 of them.

Who won the acting and directing awards at the 42nd British Academy Film Awards (1989)?

Best Director: Louis Malle for Au Revoir les Enfants. Best Actor: John Cleese for A Fish Called Wanda. Best Supporting Actor: Michael Palin for A Fish Called Wanda.

When was the 42nd British Academy Film Awards (1989)?

The 42nd British Academy Film Awards (1989) took place on March 19, 1989. The database has 17 categories and 59 nominations for it.