Oscars flashback to when Kenneth Branagh won Best Original Screenplay for ‘Belfast’
With Kenneth Branagh set to return to the role of Hercule Poirot in the Agatha Christie adaptation “A Haunting in Venice,” let’s take a look back at his recent journey to winning his very first Oscar for “Belfast” just two years ago.
Inspired by Branagh’s childhood, “Belfast” follows Buddy (Jude Hill), a young boy growing up in the title city in Northern Ireland at the beginning of the Troubles in 1969. The movie had its world premiere at the Telluride Film Festival on September 2, 2021. It went on to win the People’s Choice Award at the Toronto International Film Festival. From that moment on, experts started penciling it into their predictions as a movie to watch out for in the Oscar race.
Branagh had previously been Oscar-nominated across five different categories. In 1989 he was up for Best Director and Best Actor for “Henry V.” In 1992 he contended for Best Live Action Short Film for “Swan Song.” In 1996 he was nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay for “Hamlet.” And in 2011 he was in the running for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in “My Week with Marilyn.” Following those achievements he spent a decade behind the camera on more commercial fare such as “Thor,” “Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit,” “Cinderella,” “Murder on the Orient Express” and “Artemis Fowl.” So “Belfast” marked his first prestige directorial outing in a while.
As the awards season progressed Branagh managed to win Best Original Screenplay prizes from the Alliance of Women Film Journalists and the Washington DC Area Film Critics Association. He was also a runner-up for Best Original Screenplay and Best Director at the San Diego Film Critics Society, losing to Fran Kranz for “Mass” and Jane Campion for “The Power of the Dog,” respectively. Then there were the Golden Globes, which were typically the first major televised awards show of the season, but as you might remember they were quieter than usual.
Due to boycotts against the Hollywood Foreign Press Association over its lack of diversity, the Globes’ regular broadcaster, NBC, declined to televise the ceremony. So the HFPA ultimately chose to hold the presentation privately, with results announced via press release and highlighted on the Globes’ social media pages. “Belfast” co-led the nominations with “The Power of the Dog” with seven noms overall (including Best Film Drama).
When the winners were revealed on January 9, 2022, Branagh managed to win Best Screenplay as the movie’s only prize. Unlike most awards groups, the Golden Globes combine both adapted and original scripts into one category. So was that a surefire sign that Branagh would win the Oscar? At that point, only one Globe winner for writing since 2015 had gone on to repeat at the Oscars: “Green Book” in 2018.
Going into Oscar nominations, “Belfast” was expected to receive nine bids overall according to Gold Derby’s combined predictions. On the morning of February 8 when nominations were announced, though, the film slightly underperformed by missing out on expected noms for Best Cinematography and Best Film Editing. Caitriona Balfe was also shockingly snubbed from Best Supporting Actress even though she’d been recognized by the major precursors, though the performer who got in over her was her own co-star Judi Dench. As for Branagh, he received his second career bid as a director and managed to become a first-time Oscar nominee in two more categories: Best Picture (as a producer on the film) and Best Original Screenplay.
March 13 was a busy day for awards. At the BAFTAs, “Belfast” had six bids including Best Picture and was predicted to win two accolades. One of those turned out to be right: Best British Film. The other was Best Original Screenplay, yet it lost to “Licorice Pizza.” That was especially surprising given that “Belfast” seemed to be the more BAFTA-friendly option as a British production while “Licorice” told a very American story. If Branagh couldn’t win that category at the BAFTAs, would it be a struggle for him to do better with the American academy?
Later that day were the Critics Choice Awards. “Belfast” had 11 nominations including Best Picture, but was predicted to go home empty-handed. It did much better than expected, though, by winning three prizes: Best Original Screenplay over “Licorice Pizza,” Best Film Ensemble over “West Side Story,” and Best Young Actor or Actress for Jude Hill over Rachel Zegler in “West Side Story.”
Then on March 20 the Writers Guild of America Awards took place. “Belfast” wasn’t eligible to compete there. In its absence, “Licorice Pizza” was the front-runner to win Best Original Screenplay, which would’ve given that film a huge leg up heading into the Oscars. But in quite a surprise, the WGA Award instead went to “Don’t Look Up,” a movie that had to overcome very mixed critical reactions.
Suddenly, the Oscar race had become more confusing. “Belfast” won at the Golden Globes and Critics Choice Awards, but those have no voter overlap with the academy. The last time the eventual Oscar winner for Best Original Screenplay prevailed with both those groups but didn’t have a single industry peer-group prize under its belt was “Birdman” back in 2014. Like “Belfast,” though, it wasn’t eligible at the WGA Awards, so perhaps “Belfast” could follow the same path to victory.
At last on March 27 came the 94th Academy Awards. About midway through the ceremony, “Juno” stars Elliot Page, J.K. Simmons, and Jennifer Garner came out on stage to present the award their film had won 14 years earlier, Best Original Screenplay. Simmons said, “And the Oscar goes to…,” opened the envelope and gave it to Page, who then announced Branagh’s name.
Branagh thanked academy voters and saluted his fellow nominees. He added that the award was “an enormous honor” for his family and “a great tribute to an amazing city and fantastic people.” He concluded, “This story is the search for joy and hope in the face of violence and loss. We will never forget those lost in the heartbreaking, heartwarming, human story of that amazing city of Belfast on the fabulous island of Ireland.”
So how did Branagh pull through? For one, “Belfast” was a passion project for him. Due to its semiautobiographical nature, he was the face of that movie’s campaign, and this was the best place to award his overall contributions since he was a relative longshot for Best Picture and Best Director. With both WGA and BAFTA being split, there also wasn’t a clear alternative. In a category that tends to favor the most original movie (like “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” or “Get Out”), it’s possible that “Don’t Look Up” and “Licorice Pizza” split the originality vote.
“Don’t Look Up” scribe Adam McKay had already won Best Adapted Screenplay in 2015 for co-writing “The Big Short,” so academy members probably didn’t feel much urgency to reward him again so soon. And voters might’ve felt “Licorice Pizza” writer Paul Thomas Anderson, an 11-time nominee, will probably have another shot at winning. “The Worst Person in the World” being the only contender in the category that wasn’t up for Best Picture likely didn’t give it enough momentum. And the fifth nominee, “King Richard,” was only really contending for a win in Best Actor for Will Smith.
“Death on the Nile” coming out in the middle of the season might’ve helped too. It was the sequel to Branagh’s own “Murder on the Orient Express” and may have reminded voters that awards-friendly projects like “Belfast” are less common for him as a director these days. Thus they might’ve believed that if they were ever going to give him an Oscar, it was now or never.
Lastly, “Belfast” had the most respect from the academy, judging from its overall nominations. “Don’t Look Up” didn’t receive a single acting nom nor was McKay recognized for Best Director like he was for “The Big Short” and “Vice.” And while “Licorice Pizza” did get the big three bids for Best Picture, Best Director and Best Original Screenplay, it failed to secure a nom anywhere else. “Belfast,” on the other hand, had a Best Director nom and two acting citations, showing it had enough support to get it across the finish line.
After winning the Oscar Branagh starred as British politician Boris Johnson in the miniseries “This England,” which depicted the first wave of COVID-19 in the United Kingdom. And he recently had a small supporting role as Danish physicist Niels Bohr in Christopher Nolan‘s blockbuster hit “Oppenheimer.” Now he’s back behind the camera with his third film adaptation of an Agatha Christie mystery, “A Haunting in Venice.”
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