The crème de la crème of the film industry is gearing up for Britain’s prestigious BAFTA awards, and this year, Universal Pictures’ masterpiece ‘Oppenheimer’ has emerged as a clear frontrunner, boasting a staggering thirteen nominations, including the highly-coveted Best Film award. On its heels is the darkly whimsical ‘Poor Things’, which has garnered eleven nods in the race for the esteemed accolades.
The announcement, which came on a crisp Thursday morning, revealed a competitive lineup that also includes the notable historical drama ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’ and the poignant ‘The Zone of Interest’, each with nine nominations to their names. Other films making waves this season are the riveting French courtroom saga ‘Anatomy of a Fall’, the touching narrative ‘The Holdovers’, and the musical biopic ‘Maestro’, each a strong contender with seven nominations apiece.
A poignant examination of love amidst loss, ‘All of Us Strangers’, did not go unnoticed, securing nominations in six different categories. Meanwhile, ‘Saltburn’, a sharp dissection of class dynamics, secured five.
The 2023 blockbuster ‘Barbie’, which combined nostalgia with a modern twist, achieved five nominations, though it notably did not make the shortlist for Best Picture, leaving fans and critics to ponder the delineation between commercial success and critical acclaim.
The BAFTA ceremony is scheduled for February 18 at the illustrious Royal Festival Hall in London, with the esteemed ‘Doctor Who’ actor, David Tennant, taking the reins as host for the evening. As the British equivalent to Hollywood’s Oscars, the event – officially known as the EE BAFTA Film Awards – is seen as a precursor and possible predictor for success at the famed Oscars taking place later on March 10.
In the highly anticipated Best Film category, the contenders are a testament to cinematic diversity: ‘Oppenheimer’ faces ‘Poor Things’, ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’, ‘Anatomy of a Fall’, and ‘The Holdovers’. Beyond these, the separate classification for Best British Film introduces an array of unique narratives, from ‘Saltburn’ to the imperial grandeur of ‘Napoleon’, the heartwarming ‘Rye Lane’, and the origin tale of ‘Wonka’.
The leading actor and actress nominations are star-studded and display incredible range: Bradley Cooper (‘Maestro’), Colman Domingo (‘Rustin’), and Cillian Murphy (‘Oppenheimer’) are a few names among the talented males, while the female nominees include Sandra Hüller (‘Anatomy of a Fall’) and Margot Robbie (‘Barbie), all vying for the prestigious awards.
Adding to the diversity of the awards, the harrowing Ukraine war documentary ’20 Days in Mariupol’ – a production by The Associated Press and PBS Frontline, has been nominated for Best Documentary and is also contending for Best Film Not in the English Language.
The BAFTA has made significant strides in advocating for diversity, a move prompted by the dearth of female director nominations in past years and the homogeny amongst performer categories. Changes to the voting process now feature a longlist round, allowing the academy’s thousands of industry professionals to determine the final nominees.
Despite the inclusion-oriented rules leading to equal male and female representation on the director longlist, only one woman, Justine Triet for ‘Anatomy of a Fall’, features among the final six nominees for Best Director. This statistic illuminated the absence of ‘Barbie’ director Greta Gerwig, which has sparked commentary among industry watchers.
Sara Putt, the BAFTA chair, expressed pride in the academy’s proactive stance on diversity but acknowledged a broader systemic imbalance in the industry. She emphasized that for every film by a woman, there are three by men, indicating a ‘long journey’ toward true equality in filmmaking.
The BAFTA awards not just celebrate artistic excellence, but also spotlight the ongoing dialogue regarding representation, equality, and the need for a level playing field within the realms of English and global cinema.
