Emma Thompson has dedicated her award from the Evening Standard Film Awards to Alan Rickman, her co-star many times over.

Alan Rickman, who passed away earlier this year, was universally loved by his co-stars and friends.

Emma Thompson was understandably devastated by Rickman’s death; the pair were close friends, after appearing together in many different productions (including Sense and Sensibility, The Winter Guest, Love Actually and the Harry Potter series).

Related: Fans pay tribute to Alan Rickman at Hogwarts, Platform 9 3/4, and online

It was therefore bittersweet to see Thompson dedicate her award for her role in The Legend of Barney Thompson, awarded by the Evening Standard Film Awards, to the late Rickman.

“I’d like to commit this moment in time to dearest Alan Rickman, who many of us are dearly missing tonight,” said Thompson. “It’s so depressing but there it is, it does happen.”

She had more fond words for Rickman, saying, “He was the finest of actors and directors. I couldn’t wait to see what he was going to do with his face next. I consider myself hugely privileged to have worked with him so many times and to have been directed by him.”

Finally, Thompson joked that Rickman, “always predicted I would end up looking like my mother after a lifetime of Guinness, fish suppers and untipped Players. So thank you.”

The Evening Standard Film Awards honored Brooklyn as the Best Film, with the Best Actor and Actress awards going to Idris Elba (Beasts of No Nation) and Dame Maggie Smith (The Lady in the Van) respectively.