History-making Manchester actress Wunmi Mosaku delivered a powerful speech about identity, ancestry and growing up in the North after winning the BAFTA for Best Supporting Actress.
The Chorlton-raised performer picked up the award for her role as Annie in musical horror film Sinners, becoming the first Black British winner of the category.
Mosaku, who moved to Manchester from Nigeria aged one, used her speech to describe how the role helped her reconnect with parts of herself she once felt pressure to suppress.
“I found a part of myself in Annie, a part of my hopes, my ancestral power and connection, parts I thought I had lost or tried to dim as an immigrant trying to fit in,” she said.
Accepting the award, the 39-year-old also paid tribute to her daughter. “To my daughter, you are my greatest teacher,” she said. “I am so proud of you, everything begins and ends with you.”
Speaking afterwards, Mosaku said the response to the film had been deeply personal, particularly from Black women who felt represented by the character.
“It always feels good when you feel like your story and your experience is being represented with integrity and creativity,” she said.
“Since the film came out, just seeing the response of black women feeling seen, loved, valued, treasured, and the power of our ancestry and the spirituality.
“For me, seeing that response made me realise how lonely I felt and all of a sudden these women were in my life who I’d never met, I felt a kinship to.”
Mosaku grew up in Manchester and attended Trinity Church of England High School in Hulme and Xaverian Sixth Form College before training at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London.
Her BAFTA win comes nine years after she won Best Supporting Actress at the BAFTA Television Awards for her role in Damilola, Our Loved Boy.
She faced strong competition for the film award, including Carey Mulligan for The Ballad of Wallis Island, Emily Watson for Hamnet and Teyana Taylor for One Battle After Another.
Mosaku has built an international career spanning television and film, with roles in Luther, Black Mirror and Marvel productions, but has often spoken about the influence of her Manchester upbringing on her work and outlook.
