Kneecap director and co-writer Rich Peppiatt has won the BAFTA for Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director, or Producer on a night when Conclave and The Brutalist were the big winners.
Conclave's Lisburn-born editor Nick Emerson won the BAFTA for Best Editing.
Fresh from Kneecap's IFTA wins, Peppiatt's critically acclaimed biopic of the Belfast rap trio of the same name had six nominations at the Southbank Centre's Royal Festival Hall.
It missed out in the Outstanding British Film, Best Film Not in the English Language, Original Screenplay, Editing, and Casting categories.
Accepting his Outstanding Debut BAFTA, Peppiatt, who recently received Irish citizenship, said: "An awful time to get pins and needles in your leg - really bad timing!
"Wow, I'm absolutely honoured to be standing here.
"Fifteen years ago today, I actually met my wife - and a decade later she convinced me to move to Belfast. And within two weeks of moving to Belfast, I met Kneecap - and now I'm standing here! And it's weird how life works like that.
"I mean, Kneecap are... It's more than a film, it's a movement. And it's about how everyone should have their language respected; they should have their culture respected, and they should have their homeland respected."
To applause and cheers, Peppiatt concluded: "And so, this award is dedicated to everyone who's out there fighting that fight. Thank you very much."
The box office hit Kneecap includes Belfast's Fine Point Films, Dublin's Wildcard Distribution, London's Mother Tongues Films, and the British Film Institute (BFI) among its producers.
Among the organisations that funded the film are: Northern Ireland Screen, the Irish Language Broadcast Fund, Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland, Coimisiún na Meán, and TG4.
IFTA winner Saoirse Ronan was nominated for the Leading Actress BAFTA for her role in the addiction recovery drama The Outrun but lost out to Mikey Madison for the dark fairy tale Anora.
Watch: Anora director Sean Baker and star Mikey Madison talk to RTÉ Entertainment.
The Donald Trump biopic The Apprentice, produced by the Dublin-based Tailored Films, was nominated for Best Actor for Sebastian Stan, Best Supporting Actor for Jeremy Strong, and Best Casting but was not among the winners.
Conclave, starring Ralph Fiennes as a cardinal overseeing the election of a new pope, and The Brutalist, the post-war drama starring Adrien Brody, tied for the most wins on the night with four apiece.
Watch: Conclave stars Stanley Tucci, Ralph Fiennes, and Isabella Rossellini talk to RTÉ Entertainment.
Conclave was named Best Film and Outstanding British Film. It also won the Adapted Screenplay and Editing awards.
The Brutalist saw Brady Corbet win Best Director and Adrien Brody win Best Actor. The film also won the Best Cinematography and Best Original Score awards.
Watch: Adrien Brody tells RTÉ Entertainment about making The Brutalist.
The BAFTA winners:
Best Film
Conclave
Best Leading Actress
Mikey Madison, Anora
Best Leading Actor
Adrien Brody, The Brutalist
Best Director
Brady Corbet, The Brutalist
Rising Star Award (voted for by the public)
David Jonsson
Outstanding British Film
Conclave
Best Costume Design
Wicked, Paul Tazewell
Best Make-up & Hair
The Substance, Pierre Olivier Persin, Stéphanie Guillon, Frédérique Arguello, Marilyne Scarselli
Best British Short Animation
Wander to Wonder
Best British Short Film
Rock, Paper, Scissors
Best Documentary
Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story
Best Cinematography
The Brutalist, Lol Crawley
Best Casting
Anora, Sean Baker, Samantha Quan
Best Supporting Actress
Zoe Saldaña, Emilia Pérez
Best Supporting Actor
Kieran Culkin, A Real Pain
Best Animated Film
Wallace and Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl
Best Adapted Screenplay
Conclave, Peter Straughan
Best Original Screenplay
A Real Pain, Jesse Eisenberg
Best Original Score
The Brutalist, Daniel Blumberg
Best Editing
Conclave, Nick Emerson
Best Sound
Dune: Part Two, Ron Bartlett, Doug Hemphill, Gareth John, Richard King
Best Film Not in the English Language
Emilia Pérez
Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director, or Producer
Kneecap, Rich Peppiatt (director, writer)
Best Production Design
Wicked, Nathan Crowley, Lee Sandales
Best Children's & Family Film
Wallace and Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl
Best Special Visual Effects
Dune: Part Two, Paul Lambert, Stephen James, Gerd Nefzer, Rhys Salcombe
BAFTA Fellowship
Warwick Davis
