FORMER Goldsmiths student Steve McQueen’s slavery drama 12 Years A Slave resisted the force of Gravity to pick up the best film gong at the BAFTAs yesterday.

McQueen accepted the best film gong and thanked his "one and only mother for having the faith, never give up".

He told the audience: "There are 21 million people in slavery as we sit here. I just hope 150 years from now our ambivalence will not allow another film-maker to make this film".

The film also won the leading actor award for its star ex-Dulwich College pupil Chiwetel Ejiofor.
Controversially for some, McQueen was pipped for the best director award by Alfonso Cuaron, whose film Gravity won six BAFTAs.

The best supporting actor award went to Barkhad Abdi for his role as a Somalian pirate in Gravesend filmmaker Paul Greengrass’s movie Captain Phillips.