Film award judges honour Caine's `triumphant career'

THE BRITISH film industry saluted Michael Caine last night as he was presented with a special award for his contribution to cinema.

The judges of the Evening Standard British Film Awards said they "felt bound to acknowledge his contribution and commitment to an industry that has shown a remarkable upturn in fortunes over the last year". He has already won a Golden Globe for his performance as a sleazy agent in the current release Little Voice.

Caine's "triumphant international career has brought honour and glory to the UK cinema", added the judging panel of British film critics. Tribute was paid to him at the ceremony at London's Savoy Hotel by Julie Walters, his co-star in Educating Rita.

And in what turned into a celebration of several careers that began in the Sixties, there was another special achievement award for the director Ken Loach, while the best actress award went to Julie Christie for her performance as a former starlet in Afterglow, and the best actor to Sir Derek Jacobi for his portrayal of artist Francis Bacon in Love is the Devil.

The judges said that Ken Loach's latest film My Name Is Joe ranked among his finest work and the award recognised "his ceaseless struggle to make films that speak of the human predicament".

The director John Boorman collected the best film award for The General, which he also wrote. He received the award from the Hollywood actor John Voigt who appeared in his earlier work Deliverance as well as The General. The judges said that The General, "the tale of Irish criminal genius Martin Cahill was a wholly successful, distinctive and idiosyncratic movie that revealed the hand of a master film-maker at his peak".

The award for best screenplay went to Eileen Atkins for her adaptation of Virginia Woolf's Mrs Dalloway. And the Peter Sellers Award for Comedy was presented by Hollywood actor Richard Dreyfuss to Bill Nighy for his angst-ridden ageing rock star in Still Crazy.

Cinematographer Ashley Rowe won best technical achievement award for his work on four films (Still Crazy, The Governess, The Woodlanders and Twenty Four/Seven). The most promising newcomer award was won by Guy Ritchie for Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels.

The two British triumphs of this year, Shakespeare in Love and Hilary and Jackie were released too late to be eligible for the 1998 awards.