2009 Special Award: Nicolas Roeg

Nicolas Roeg, the acclaimed director behind Don’t Look Now and The Man Who Fell to Earth has received a BAFTA Special Award.

Roeg has created some classics of modern cinema as well as inspiring several generations of world-class filmmakers by virtue of his poetic eye and iconoclastic approach to storytelling.

At a special event in 2009, Danny Boyle and many others paid tribute to the cinematic visionary Roeg. The man dubbed “the magician with a movie camera” then took to the stage to accept the BAFTA Special Award which was presented for Outstanding Creative Contribution to Cinema.

With Performance, Bad Timing, The Man Who Fell To Earth and Walkabout, Roeg cemented his place in the modernist canon. But his influence owes as much to his uncompromising approach as to the detail of his personal creative vision.

Danny Boyle considers Roeg to be as important as David Lean in the history of British cinema, and it’s impossible to keep track of the number of contemporary filmmakers who point to Don’t Look Now as among their key influences.

Terry Gilliam further applauded Roeg saying: “He never hesitates, he goes right into the heart of human nature – and it’s painful, and it’s brilliant…”

A BAFTA Special Award is one of our highest honours and recognises an outstanding contribution to film, games or TV. You can see more recipients in our Awards database.

For more inspiring stories from the world of film, games and TV, explore our BAFTA Award Stories section.