The winners of this year's Richard Attenborough Film Awards were announced today, with Up winning Film Of The Year and James Cameron declared Filmmaker Of The Year for Avatar, but the real star of the show was young English actress Carey Mulligan. Winning both Best Actress and the Rising Star award for her performance in An Education, she was said to be overjoyed, whilst critics compared her to Audrey Hepburn.
The RAFAs were also good news for Sam Rockwell, who scooped the Best Actor award for his work in Moon. "I'm so grateful to Duncan [Jones] for steering this ship in outer space and for making it a highlight of my career in every way," he responded, whilst Jones commented "What makes me feel most fortunate though, is that we have been able to show off all our hard work to an audience, and that audience has appreciated what we created. Thank you so much for this huge honour. I hope I can continue to work in this unique and amazing job for the rest of my life."
The Richard Attenborough awards are voted on by film critics all around the UK, but they also have a section where nominations and voting are open to the general public. This year saw public accolades go to two clear favourites - Harry Potter And The Half Blood Prince, and Nativity. "Winning these public votes is such a thrill for us," said Debbie Isset, who directed the latter film. "This is the icing on the Christmas cake for us!"
