37th British Academy Film Awards

The 37th British Academy Film Awards, more commonly known as the BAFTAs, took place on 25 March 1984 at the Grosvenor House Hotel in London, honouring the best national and foreign films of 1983. Presented by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts, accolades were handed out for the best feature-length film and documentaries of any nationality that were screened at British cinemas in 1983.^[1]

Lewis Gilbert's Educating Rita won the award for Best Film.^[2] Dustin Hoffman and Michael Caine tied for Best Actor, while Julie Walters took home Best Actress and Denholm Elliott and Jamie Lee Curtis won the supporting categories.

The ceremony was hosted by Michael Aspel.

Winners and nominees

BAFTA Fellowship

Sam Spiegel

Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema

Colin Young

Awards

Winners are listed first and highlighted in boldface.

Best Film Educating Rita – Lewis Gilbert Heat and Dust – Ismail Merchant Local Hero – David Puttnam Tootsie – Sydney Pollack and Dick Richards	Best Direction Bill Forsyth – Local Hero James Ivory – Heat and Dust Sydney Pollack − Tootsie Martin Scorsese – The King of Comedy
Best Actor in a Leading Role *Dustin Hoffman – Tootsie* as Michael Dorsey / Dorothy Michaels Michael Caine – Educating Rita as Professor Frank Bryant** Michael Caine – The Honorary Consul as Charley Fortnum Robert De Niro – The King of Comedy as Rupert Pupkin	Best Actress in a Leading Role *Julie Walters – Educating Rita* as Susan White** Jessica Lange – Tootsie as Julie Nichols Phyllis Logan − Another Time, Another Place as Janie Meryl Streep – Sophie's Choice as Zofia Zawistowski
Best Actor in a Supporting Role *Denholm Elliott – Trading Places* as Coleman** Bob Hoskins – The Honorary Consul as Colonel Perez Burt Lancaster – Local Hero as Felix Happer Jerry Lewis – The King of Comedy as Jerry Langford	Best Actress in a Supporting Role *Jamie Lee Curtis – Trading Places* as Ophelia** Teri Garr – Tootsie as Sandy Lester Rosemary Harris – The Ploughman's Lunch as Ann Barrington Maureen Lipman − Educating Rita as Trish
Best Original Screenplay The King of Comedy – Paul D. Zimmerman Local Hero – Bill Forsyth Trading Places – Timothy Harris and Herschel Weingrod Zelig – Woody Allen	Best Adapted Screenplay Heat and Dust – Ruth Prawer Jhabvala Betrayal – Harold Pinter Educating Rita – Willy Russell Tootsie – Larry Gelbart and Murray Schisgal
Best Cinematography Fanny and Alexander – Sven Nykvist Heat and Dust – Walter Lassally Local Hero – Chris Menges Zelig – Gordon Willis	Best Costume Design La Traviata – Piero Tosi Fanny and Alexander – Marik Vos-Lundh Heat and Dust – Barbara Lane Tootsie – Ruth Morley
Best Editing Flashdance – Bud S. Smith and Walt Mulconery The King of Comedy – Thelma Schoonmaker Local Hero – Michael Bradsell Zelig – Susan E. Morse	Best Makeup and Hair Tootsie – Dorothy Pearl, George Masters, Romaina Ford and Allen Weisinger Heat and Dust – Gordon Kay Return of the Jedi – Phil Tippett and Stuart Freeborn Zelig – Fred Buchner and John Caglione Jr.
Best Original Music Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence – Ryuichi Sakamoto Flashdance – Giorgio Moroder Local Hero – Mark Knopfler An Officer and a Gentleman – Jack Nitzsche	Best Original Song *"Up Where We Belong" (An Officer and a Gentleman) – Jack Nitzsche, Buffy Sainte-Marie and Will Jennings* "Flashdance... What a Feeling" (Flashdance) – Giorgio Moroder, Keith Forsey and Irene Cara "Tootsie" (Tootsie) – Dave Grusin, Alan and Marilyn Bergman "Every Sperm Is Sacred" (Monty Python's The Meaning of Life) – Andre Jacquemin, Dave Howman, Michael Palin and Terry Jones
Best Production Design La Traviata – Franco Zeffirelli and Gianni Quaranta Heat and Dust – Wilfred Shingleton Return of the Jedi – Norman Reynolds WarGames – Angelo P. Graham	Best Sound WarGames – Willie D. Burton, Michael J. Kohut and William Manger Flashdance – Jim Webb, Robert Knudson, Robert Glass and Don Digirolamo La Traviata – Cesare D'Amico, Jean-Louis Ducarme, Claude Villand and Federico Savina Return of the Jedi – Ben Burtt, Tony Dawe and Gary Summers
Best Special Visual Effects Return of the Jedi – Richard Edlund, Dennis Muren, Ken Ralston and Kit West The Dark Crystal – Roy Field, Brian Smithies and Ian Wingrove WarGames – Mike Fink, Joe Digaetano, Jack Cooperman, Don Hansard, Colin Cantwell and William A. Fraker Zelig – Gordon Willis, Joel Hynek, Stuart Robertson and Richard Alan Greenberg	Most Promising Newcomer to Leading Film Roles *Phyllis Logan – Another Time, Another Place* as Janie** Greta Scacchi – Heat and Dust as Olivia Rivers Julie Walters – Educating Rita as Susan White Kevin Kline – Sophie's Choice as Nathan Landau
Best Documentary Schindler – Jon Blair Forty Minutes: Female Circumcision – Louise Panton The Visit: Part 3: The Boy David – Alex McCall Wildlife On One: Night Life – Dilys Breese	Best Film Not in the English Language Danton – Margaret Ménégoz, Barbara Pec-Slesicka and Andrzej Wajda Confidentially Yours – Armand Barboult and François Truffaut Fanny and Alexander – Jörn Donner and Ingmar Bergman La Traviata – Tarak Ben Ammar and Franco Zeffirelli
Best Short Animation Henry's Cat – Bob Godfrey Danger Mouse – Brian Cosgrove and Mark Hall Paddington Goes to the Movies – Barry Leith The Wind in the Willows – Mark Hall and Brian Cosgrove	Best Short Film Goodie Two Shoes – Ian Emes The Crimson Permanent Assurance – Terry Gilliam John Love – John Davis Keep Off the Grass – Paul Weiland

Statistics

Films that received multiple nominations
Nominations	Film
9	Tootsie
8	Heat and Dust
7	Local Hero
6	Educating Rita
5	The King of Comedy
5	Zelig
4	Flashdance
	La Traviata
	Return of the Jedi
3	Fanny and Alexander
	Trading Places
	WarGames
2	Another Time, Another Place
	The Honorary Consul
	An Officer and a Gentleman
	Sophie's Choice

Films that received multiple awards
Awards	Film
3	Educating Rita
2	La Traviata
	Tootsie
	Trading Places

References

^ "37th British Academy Film Awards". BAFTA. Retrieved 6 November 2023.
^ Morgan, David (19 January 2023). "BAFTA Best Film Award Winners Since 1990 – A Photo Gallery". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 11 February 2024.