( CNN ) '' Boyhood '' won big at Sunday 's BAFTA ceremony , netting prizes for best film , best director and best supporting actress . Director Richard Linklater filmed the critically acclaimed coming-of-age movie with the same cast over 12 years . The EE British Academy Film Awards , known as the BAFTAs , are the most anticipated event for the British film industry . And with the Oscars only two weeks away , the ceremony is often seen as an indicator of who is in the running for an Academy Award . Patricia Arquette won best supporting actress Sunday for her role as a mother in `` Boyhood . '' She also won a Screen Actors Guild Award last month for her performance . Held at the Royal Opera House in London and presented by comedian Stephen Fry , `` The Grand Budapest Hotel '' was at the top of the leader board going into the awards with 11 nominations . The film won five awards for best costume design , best production design , best makeup and hair , best original music and best original screenplay . Eddie Redmayne won best leading actor for his portrayal of physicist Stephen Hawking in `` The Theory of Everything , '' paying tribute to the Hawking family in an emotional acceptance speech . Redmayne was not only a favorite of the BAFTA judges , but also with hundreds of fans who lined up -- some since Friday -- to watch him walk on the red carpet and chant his name as he went by . But it was Hawking himself who got some of the biggest cheers of the night , drawing a standing ovation when he took the stage with actress Felicity Jones to present the award for best special digital effects . `` I 'm particularly pleased to be presenting with the only person on the planet more intelligent than Stephen Fry , '' Jones said . `` Yes , and better looking , '' Hawking quipped . Julianne Moore won best leading actress for her role as a professor battling Alzheimer 's in `` Still Alice . '' J.K. Simmons won best supporting actor for his role in `` Whiplash . '' The film also won awards for best editing and best sound . `` Birdman , '' which started the night with 10 nominations , walked away with the award for best cinematography . The light-hearted `` Lego Movie '' won best animated film . Formed on April 16 , 1947 , the British Academy of Film and Television Arts is a charity that rewards , develops and promotes excellence in film , television and games . British rock band Kasabian opened the show . Some stars posed for photographs on the red carpet with David Beckham , who presented the first award for the evening : outstanding British film , which went to `` The Theory of Everything . '' Who else won the night ? See the full list here . CNN 's Kellie Morgan and Sara Mazloumsaki contributed to this report .
` ` Boyhood '' wins best film at BAFTAs . Scientist Stephen Fry draws cheers as he presents onstage . The ceremony is often used as a metaphor for the future .