2nd British Academy Film Awards
| 2nd British Academy Film Awards | |
|---|---|
| Date | 29 May 1949 |
| Site | Odeon Theatre, Leicester Square, London |
| Highlights | |
| Best Film | Hamlet |
| Best British Film | The Fallen Idol |
| Most awards | Hamlet, The Fallen Idol (1) |
| Most nominations | Hamlet, The Fallen Idol (2) |
The 2nd British Academy Film Awards, known retroactively as the British Academy Film Awards, were given by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) (known then as the British Film Academy) on 29 May 1949 at the Odeon Leicester Square, and honoured the best films of 1948. The awards for 1947 were presented at the same ceremony.
As with the awards for films from 1947, films from 1948 were eligible for the categories Best Film from any Source, British or Foreign and Best British Picture; these were won by Hamlet and The Fallen Idol, respectively. Additionally three new award categories were created: Best Documentary Picture, a "Special Award for work lying outside the feature and documentary fields", and the "United Nations Award for the best documentary or feature film illustrating one of the basic principles of the United Nation's [sic] Charter".
At the event, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences also presented awards to British filmmakers for their work on Hamlet and The Red Shoes, in categories that they had won at the 21st Academy Awards.