Berger wins BAFTA best director for 'All Quiet on the Western Front'

LONDON - German director Edward Berger won best director for "All Quiet on the Western Front" as the powerful anti-war film made the early running at the British BAFTA academy's annual cinema awards on Sunday.

Berger credited his daughter Matilda for turning his "doubts into trust", after telling him he had to make a movie of Erich Maria Remarque's 1929 novel, which she was reading in school. 

"Best director is the one I never would have thought it would ever work," Berger told reporters at the central London ceremony.

With 14 nods, "All Quiet on the Western Front" is the joint most-nominated foreign-language film in BAFTA's 76-year history.

It had scooped six awards so far, including for "best film not in English" and for cinematography, in the build-up to the Oscars on March 12. 

Pitch-black Irish comedy "The Banshees of Inisherin", co-starring Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson, had earned four gongs ahead of the awards later for best film and best leading actors. 

They included best-supporting actor for Barry Keoghan and best supporting actress for Kerry Condon -- who at first was not given the prize after a miscommunication on stage.

"Banshees" director Martin McDonagh, one of the rare UK nominees for this year's top gongs, had so far won "best British film" despite its heavily Irish profile, and best original screenplay.

"Making a sad film shouldn't be so much fun," he said.