Mexican director Alejandro González Iñárritu won the Best Director Award for "The Revenant" at the at the British Academy Film Awards.
González Iñárritu took the chance to express that is is necessary to change the cultural perception of Latinos in Hollywood, in order to promote their inclusion in the film industry.
Iñárritu spoke to media after his film "The Revenant" got five BAFTA awards: Best Film, Best Director, Best actor (Leonardo DiCaprio), Best Photography (Mexican Emmanuel "El Chivo" Lubezki) and Best Sound.
DiCaprio cemented his Oscar-favorite status by taking the best-actor trophy for playing a bear-battling fur trapper in a brutally wild American West. Alejandro G. Inarritu was named best director for what he called a "human and tender story."
DiCaprio, who has been nominated three times before at the British awards without winning, said in his acceptance speech that he was "absolutely humbled" to beat "The Martian" star Matt Damon, "Trumbo" Bryan Cranston, Michael Fassbender for "Steve Jobs," and Eddie Redmayne for "The Danish Girl."
The BAFTAs are considered a portent of success at Hollywood's Feb. 28 Academy Awards. "The Revenant" has earned DiCaprio his sixth Oscar nomination - and, many believe, his best shot at finally winning.
"We put our heart and soul into this movie ... It's up to the world now and voters to decide," he said at a post-ceremony news conference.