LIVERPOOL’S Hurricane Films, who produced documentary Of Time and the City, narrowly missed out on a Bafta last night.

The film, a personal view of life growing up in the city by Liverpool-born director Terence Davies, was nominated for the prestigious Carl Foreman Award for Special Achievement by a British Director, Writer or Producer in their first feature film.

Of Time and the City, a 75-minute film caused a sensation at Cannes last summer and the Bafta nomination came as a surprise to Liverpudlian Ray Boulter, who co-founded Hurricane with Sol Papadopolous.

Instead, Steve McQueen, director and writer of Hunger, collected the award at a glitzy televised ceremony at London’s Royal Opera House.

Hunger, based on IRA hunger striker Bobby Sands, has already won numerous awards.

McQueen said in his acceptance speech: “I just want to say to my mum you were right, you have to work twice as hard.”

Kate Winslet won a Leading Actress film Bafta for The Reader, as Slumdog Millionaire cleaned up at the awards with seven gongs, including Best Film.

The night of British triumphs saw Danny Boyle win the Director prize for Slumdog Millionaire, the rags-to-riches tale set in the slums of Mumbai.

Slumdog has already taken Hollywood by storm and is poised for Oscar success, having received 10 nominations.

The Orange British Academy Film Awards, one of the most glamorous events in the film calendar, saw A-listers including Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, Sharon Stone, Penelope Cruz, Wirral’s Daniel Craig, Ron Howard and Michael Sheen brave the downpour to dazzle on the red carpet.

Winslet, who plays a concentration camp guard in The Reader, beat Jolie for Changeling, Kristin Scott Thomas for I’ve Loved You So Long and Meryl Streep for Doubt.

Winslet had promised to be more prepared last night than she was at the Golden Globes, when the 33-year-old gave a gushing speech, saying she had “a habit of not winning things”.

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