BAFTAs 2023: Cate Blanchett, Paul Mescal and Colin Farrell lead stars wearing #WithRefugees ribbon on the red carpet
Some of the most famous faces from the world of film and television descended on the red carpet outside London’s Royal Festival Hall on Sunday in celebration of the BAFTA Awards’ 2023 ceremony.
As the celebrities arrived dressed to the nines, it was clear that many of the attendees at the star-studded event were also keen to use their profile to draw attention to a cause close to their hearts.
It soon became clear that one particular initiative had struck a chord with BAFTA Award attendees, symbolised by a simple blue ribbon, worn to pledge public support of the #WithRefugees campaign.
The ribbon accessorising several celebrity outfits was a small blue pin, in the shape of many other charity pins with its ribbon crossed over, and bore the campaign hashtag in white.
The blue ribbon is the outward-facing symbol of solidarity with refugees and displaced people around the world, in reference to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees' (UNHCR) campaign.
Cate Blanchett – who has been a UNHCR goodwill ambassador since 2016 – led the charge, pinning the blue ribbon to her Maison Margiela dress, which the actor also wore to the 2015 Oscars red carpet.
Read more: Baftas 2023: Full list of winners as All Quiet on the Western Front dominates
Paul Mescal and Colin Farrell – who competed in the battle for leading actor at the awards ceremony – pinned theirs to dapper black suits, whilst Angela Bassett and Gugu Mbatha Raw attached theirs to the straps of their gowns.
Michelle Yeoh – who is nominated for the best actress gong at tonight's awards – chose a slightly more novel approach to showing her support.
Instead of pinning the blue #WithRefugees ribbon to her outfit, the actor wore the ribbon on her ring finger, like a piece of jewellery.
Also present on the BAFTA Award red carpet – and wearing a blue ribbon – was Yusra Mardini, former Olympian swimmer and subject of the Sally El-Hosaini-directed film The Swimmers. A Syrian refugee, Yusra and her sister, Sarah, swam across the Aegean Sea alongside a sinking dinghy to lighten it, and eventually help 18 refugees to reach safety. Mardini's subsequent swimming career saw her reach the Rio 2016 Olympics as a member of the Refugee Olympic Team (ROT).
The #WithRefugees ribbon pays tribute to refugees who have been displaced from their homes due to war and natural disasters. In the current climate, a focus has been on those displaced by the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the recent Turkey-Syria earthquake, for which the death toll has already reached over 46,000 and continues to rise.
