Dame Judi Clinch! Veteran Actress Dench Gives Kenneth Branagh a Huge Hug As He Picks Up Top Prize at the 36th London Critics' Circle Film Awards

Daily Mail, 17 January 2016             See the photos
By Sarah Tetteh
Thanks, Jane

It's not every day two of Britain's finest actors get together for a giant bear hug, but Dame Judi Dench and Sir Kenneth Branagh were spotted doing just that at the 36th London Critics' Circle Film Awards on Sunday.

Dame Judi, 81, went in for an affectionate clinch with the screen icon as they reunited on the red carpet at the ceremony, which saw Kenneth being recognised with the Dilys Powell Award for excellence in film.

The 55-year-old actor-director accepted the honor at the prestigious awards ceremony, held at The May Fair hotel in London, presented by Judi, who he cast in his recent stage production of ''The Winter's Tale'.

Looking resplendent in a crushed velvet jacket over black trousers and a matching top, Dame Judi oozed glam in her wintry outfit as she took to the red carpet ahead of the ceremony. Judi, who paired her flowing jacket with dainty layered silver necklace, was there to present her good friend with his accolade which celebrated his glittering 35 years in the industry.

Kenneth looked dapper in a tailored three-piece suit on the night, while proudly speaking of the honour of winning the Dilys Powell Award for excellence in film.

'As a young filmmaker, I had the privilege of meeting Dilys Powell,' he said, referring to the late Sunday Times critic for whom the award is named. He continued in the statement: 'She was passionate, rigorous, humane. Her criticism was illuminating, thoughtful and bracing.

'This recognition in her name is a great honour to me personally and very meaningful. My sincere thanks to the Critics' Circle.'

Kenneth and Judi were quite the double act as they brought the ceremony to a rousing close when they arrived on stage. The crowd was treated to the British acting royalty taking to the stage, as Judi presented Kenneth with the Dilys Powell Award for Excellence in Film.

Branagh accepted the award from his recent stage partner in 'A Winter's Tale', after verbal and visual tributes to his storied career as an actor and filmmaker.

It was a strong night for British talent, as Kate Winslet was named Supporting Actress of the Year for her work in 'Steve Jobs', all the while leading the style stakes on the night looking stunning in a sleek skater style dress on Sunday night.

She didn't take all the glory though, as her co-star Mark Rylance took the Supporting Actor honour for Steven Spielberg's 'Bridge of Spies'.

Adding to its growing list of honours in the US, Asif Kapadia's homegrown Amy Winehouse biopic 'Amy' took the award for Documentary of the Year. Among the films it beat was 'The Look of Silence'; Joshua Oppenheimer's follow-up to 'The Act of Killing' was instead named Foreign Language Film of the Year.

Other winners included 'Brooklyn' star Saoirse Ronan, who was named British/Irish Actress of the Year, while 18-year-old Maisie Williams accepted the Young British/Irish Performer award for her challenging lead role in Carol Morley's adolescent study 'The Falling'.


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+13 Getting on famously: Kate Winslet made sure to grab a photo with Dame Judi Stunning Kate Winslet makes statement at London award ceremony f Loaded: 0% Progress: 0% w 00:00 f Play d Mute Current Time 0:00 / Duration Time 0:38 t Fullscreen g Need Text j n l m k i +13 Winner: Kate oozed glam in her little black skater dress as she collected her gong for Best Actress at the Critics Circle Awards +13 +13 Figure-flaunting form: Keeping to a suitably stylish yet reserved theme, Kate's fitted garment featured a dipping neckline which led the eye down the dress to the A-Line waistline which accentuated her trim tummy +13 Winner: Maisie Williams accepted the Young British/Irish Performer award for her challenging lead role in Carol Morley's adolescent study The Falling +13 Game of prints: Slipping into a sheer Markus Lupfer mini-dress, which featured the connecting shapes of a zombie Mexican wrestler, the rising screen star ensured her modesty by wearing black slip underneath NOMINEES - 36TH ANNUAL LONDON CRITICS' CIRCLE FILM AWARDS Film Of The Year Mad Max: Fury Road - WINNER 45 Years Amy Carol Inside Out The Look of Silence The Martian The Revenant Room Spotlight British/Irish Film Of The Year 45 Years - WINNER Amy Brooklyn The Lobster London Road Foreign-Language Film Of The Year The Look of Silence - WINNER Eden Hard to Be a God The Tale of the Princess Kaguya The Tribe Documentary Of The Year Amy - WINNER Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief The Look of Silence Palio A Syrian Love Story Actor Of The Year Tom Courtenay - 45 Years - WINNER Paul Dano - Love & Mercy Leonardo DiCaprio - The Revenant Michael Fassbender - Steve Jobs Tom Hardy - Legend Actress Of The Year Charlotte Rampling - 45 Years - WINNER Cate Blanchett - Carol Brie Larson - Room Rooney Mara - Carol Saoirse Ronan - Brooklyn Supporting Actor Of The Year Mark Rylance - Bridge of Spies - WINNER Benicio Del Toro - Sicario Tom Hardy - The Revenant Oscar Isaac - Ex Machina Michael Keaton - Spotlight Supporting Actress Of The Year Kate Winslet - Steve Jobs - WINNER Olivia Colman - The Lobster Kristen Stewart - Clouds of Sils Maria Tilda Swinton - Trainwreck Alicia Vikander - Ex Machina Dilys Powell Award For Excellence In Film Kenneth Branagh Director Of The Year George Miller - Mad Max: Fury Road - WINNER Andrew Haigh - 45 Years Todd Haynes - Carol Alejandro G Iñárritu - The Revenant Ridley Scott - The Martian Screenwriter Of The Year Josh Singer & Tom McCarthy - Spotlight - WINNER Emma Donoghue - Room Nick Hornby - Brooklyn Phyllis Nagy - Carol Aaron Sorkin - Steve Jobs British/Irish Actor Of The Year Tom Hardy - Legend, London Road, Mad Max: Fury Road, The Revenant - WINNER Michael Caine - Kingsman: The Secret Service, Youth Idris Elba - Beasts of No Nation, Second Coming Colin Farrell - The Lobster, Miss Julie Michael Fassbender - Macbeth Slow West, Steve Jobs British/Irish Actress Of The Year Saoirse Ronan - Brooklyn, Lost River - WINNER Emily Blunt - Sicario Carey Mulligan - Far From the Madding Crowd, Suffragette Charlotte Rampling - 45 Years, The Forbidden Room Kate Winslet - The Dressmaker, A Little Chaos, Steve Jobs Young British/Irish Performer Maisie Williams - The Falling - WINNER Asa Butterfield - X + Y Milo Parker - Mr Holmes, Robot Overlords Florence Pugh - The Falling Liam Walpole - The Goob Breakthrough British/Irish Filmmaker John Maclean - Slow West - WINNER Tom Browne - Radiator Mark Burton & Richard Starzak - Shaun the Sheep Movie Emma Donoghue - Room Alex Garland - Ex Machina British/Irish Short Film Stutterer - Director: Benjamin Cleary - WINNER Directed by Tweedie - Director: Duncan Cowles Leidi - Director: Simon Mesa Soto Over - Director: Jorn Threlfall Rate Me - Director: Fyzal Boulifa Technical Achievement Award Edward Lachman - Cinematography: Carol - WINNER Carter Burwell - Music: Carol Wade Eastwood - Stunts: Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation Colin Gibson - Production Design: Mad Max: Fury Road Elliott Graham - Editing: Steve Jobs Tom Ozanich - Sound Design: Sicario Sandy Powell - Costumes: Cinderella John Seale - Cinematography: Mad Max: Fury Road Alistair Sirkett and Markus Stemler - Sound design: Macbeth Andrew Whitehurst - Visual effects: Ex Machina Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-3403976/Dame-Judi-Dench-gives-Kenneth-Branagh-huge-hug-picks-prize-36th-London-Critics-Circle-Film-Awards.html#ixzz3y5gHfsKV Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook