It was another victorious evening for La La Land, as the biggest stars in film came together for this year’s EE BAFTA Awards ceremony.

The multi-award-winning romantic musical bagged five prizes, including the prestigious Best Film award ahead of the likes of Manchester by the Sea and Moonlight.

As expected, central star Emma Stone moved a step closer towards Oscar success after winning Best Leading Actress for her role as aspiring actress Mia, ahead of Amy Adams (Arrival) and Natalie Portman (Jackie).

Upon collecting the award, Stone said:

“In a time that’s so divisive, I think it’s so special we were able to come together tonight thanks to BAFTA, to celebrate the positive gift of creativity and how it can transcend borders and how it can help people to feel a little less alone.”

Additionally, La La Land filmmaker Damien Chazelle prevailed in the Best Director category, while the film also picked up Best Cinematography and Best Original Music for composer Justin Hurwitz.

However, the musical’s success wasn’t as dominant as many had predicted, with the Brits opting to spread the love between a variety of films.

The indie drama Manchester by the Sea scored two key wins as Casey Affleck bounced back from his SAG disappointment by clinching Best Leading Actor for his performance as troubled Boston janitor Lee Chandler.

Additionally, filmmaker Kenneth Lonergan also tasted victory on the night by winning the Best Original Screenplay prize.

Another film to celebrate two wins was the factual drama Lion, as Luke Davies picked up Best Adapted Screenplay for his writing.

More significantly, British star Dev Patel boosted his hopes of Oscar success by securing Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of Saroo Brierley, the real-life Indian man who used Google Earth to track down his long-lost family.

The former Skins star initially appeared speechless, saying: “Wow, that just happened”, before describing the win as “so overwhelming”.

Furthermore, his triumph came at the expense of fellow Brits Hugh Grant (Florence Foster Jenkins) and Aaron Taylor-Johnson (Nocturnal Animals) as well as Oscar favourite Mahershala Ali (Moonlight).

Elsewhere, Viola Davis added yet another award to her trophy cabinet as she picked up the Best Supporting Actress prize for her performance as frustrated housewife Rose Maxson in the drama Fences.

As things stand, Davis is now in pole position to win an overdue Oscar after key victories at the Golden Globes and SAG Awards.

Meanwhile, Ken Loach’s powerful benefits drama I, Daniel Blake eased its way to victory in the Outstanding British Film category ahead of the likes of American Honey and Notes on Blindness.

In a politically-charged speech, Loach said:

“Thank you to the academy for endorsing the truths of what the film says, which hundreds and thousands of people in this country know.

The most vulnerable and poorest are treated by the government with a callous brutality that is disgraceful, a brutality that extends to keeping out refugee children we promised to help, and that’s a disgrace too.”

Elsewhere, Hungary’s Son of Saul and the race relations film 13th were the respective winners of Best Film Not in the English Language and Best Documentary, while Kubo and the Two Strings surprisingly beat the Disney’s Zootopia to clinch Best Animated Film.

The other films to enjoy BAFTA success on the night were Hacksaw Ridge (Best Editing), Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Best Production Design), Jackie (Best Costume Design), Florence Foster Jenkins (Best Makeup & Hair), Arrival (Best Sound), and The Jungle Book (Best Special Visual Effects).

Meanwhile, Tom Holland received the EE Rising Star Award for his promising career so far, particularly with his prominent role as the new Spider-Man in Marvel’s Captain America: Civil War (2016) and the upcoming Spider-Man: Homecoming.

Finally, veteran filmmaker Mel Brooks received the BAFTA Fellowship award for his work on renowned comedy films over the past fifty years including The Producers (1967), Blazing Saddles (1974), Young Frankenstein (1974), High Anxiety (1977), To Be or Not to Be (1983), Spaceballs (1987) and Robin Hood: Men in Tights (1993).

However, it was a dismal night for Oscar contender Moonlight as it failed to win from four nods, while Nocturnal Animals also went home empty-handed despite a dominant nine mentions.

The full list of EE BAFTA winners are…

BEST FILM
LA LA LAND

OUTSTANDING BRITISH FILM
I, DANIEL BLAKE

BEST DIRECTOR
Damien Chazelle, LA LA LAND

BEST ACTRESS
Emma Stone, LA LA LAND

BEST ACTOR
Casey Affleck, MANCHESTER BY THE SEA

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Viola Davis, FENCES

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Dev Patel, LION

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
LION (Luke Davies)

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
MANCHESTER BY THE SEA (Kenneth Lonergan)

BEST EDITING
HACKSAW RIDGE

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
LA LA LAND

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN
FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM

BEST COSTUME DESIGN
JACKIE

BEST MAKEUP & HAIR
FLORENCE FOSTER JENKINS

BEST SOUND
ARRIVAL

BEST SPECIAL VISUAL EFFECTS
THE JUNGLE BOOK

BEST ORIGINAL MUSIC
LA LA LAND (Justin Hurwitz)

BEST ANIMATED FILM
KUBO AND THE TWO STRINGS

BEST FILM NOT IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE
SON OF SAUL

BEST DOCUMENTARY
13TH

BEST BRITISH SHORT FILM
HOME

BEST BRITISH SHORT ANIMATION
A LOVE STORY

OUTSTANDING DEBUT BY A BRITISH WRITER, DIRECTOR OR PRODUCER
UNDER THE SHADOW, Babak Anvari (Writer/Director), Emily Leo, Oliver Roskill & Lucan Toh (Producers)

EE RISING STAR AWARD
Tom Holland