Stars from both sides of the Atlantic and beyond walked the red carpet Sunday for the British Academy Film Awards, where atom-bomb epic B次元官网网址淥ppenheimerB次元官网网址� could smash a 53-year-old record if it makes good on its field-leading 13 nominations.
Christopher Nolan B次元官网网址檚 biopic of physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer is up for trophies including best film, best director and best actor for star Cillian Murphy. A good night could see it surpass the record nine awards won by B次元官网网址淏utch Cassidy and the Sundance KidB次元官网网址� at the BAFTAs in 1971.
It faces stiff competition in whatB次元官网网址檚 widely considered a vintage year for cinema. Gothic fantasia B次元官网网址淧oor ThingsB次元官网网址� has 11 nominations, including best film, director for Yorgos Lanthimos and actress for Emma Stone. Historical epic B次元官网网址淜illers of the Flower MoonB次元官网网址� and Holocaust drama B次元官网网址� The Zone of InterestB次元官网网址� have nine nominations each for the prizes, officially called the EE BAFTA Film Awards.
The ceremony, hosted by B次元官网网址淒octor WhoB次元官网网址� star David Tennant, will be a glitzy, British-accented appetizer for HollywoodB次元官网网址檚 Academy Awards, closely watched for hints about who might win at the Oscars on March 10.
Nominees including Bradley Cooper, Carey Mulligan, Emily Blunt, Robert Downey Jr., Rosamund Pike, Ryan Gosling and Ayo Edebiri were all expected on the red carpet at LondonB次元官网网址檚 Royal Festival Hall, along with presenters that include Andrew Scott, Cate Blanchett, Chiwetel Ejiofor and Idris Elba.
Guest of honor will be Prince William, in his role as president of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts. HeB次元官网网址檒l be without his wife, Kate, who is recovering after abdominal surgery last month.
Newcomer Dominic Sessa, a best supporting actor nominee for his role as a troubled high school student in B次元官网网址淭he Holdovers,B次元官网网址� said he was B次元官网网址渉aving the time of my lifeB次元官网网址� on the awards circuit.
Other leading contenders include French courtroom drama B次元官网网址淎natomy of a Fall,B次元官网网址� boarding school coming-of-age drama B次元官网网址淭he HoldoversB次元官网网址� and Leonard Bernstein biopic B次元官网网址淢aestroB次元官网网址� B次元官网网址� each with seven nominations B次元官网网址� and grief-flecked love story B次元官网网址淎ll of Us StrangersB次元官网网址� with six. Barbed class-war dramedy B次元官网网址淪altburn B次元官网网址� has five nominations.
B次元官网网址淏arbie,B次元官网网址� one half of 2023B次元官网网址檚 B次元官网网址淏arbenheimerB次元官网网址� box office juggernaut and the yearB次元官网网址檚 top-grossing film, also has five nominations but missed out on nods for best picture and best director. Many saw the omission of B次元官网网址淏arbieB次元官网网址� director Greta Gerwig B次元官网网址� for both the BAFTAs and the Oscars B次元官网网址� as a major snub.
The best film race pits B次元官网网址淥ppenheimerB次元官网网址� against B次元官网网址淧oor Things,B次元官网网址� B次元官网网址淜illers of the Flower Moon,B次元官网网址� B次元官网网址淎natomy of a FallB次元官网网址� and B次元官网网址淭he Holdovers.B次元官网网址�
The BAFTAs also celebrate home-grown cinema with a separate category of best British film, an eclectic slate that includes B次元官网网址淪altburnB次元官网网址� B次元官网网址� snubbed at the Oscars but embraced by the U.K. academy B次元官网网址� alongside imperial epic B次元官网网址淣apoleon,B次元官网网址� south London romcom B次元官网网址淩ye LaneB次元官网网址� and chocolatier origin story B次元官网网址淲onka,B次元官网网址� among others.
BritainB次元官网网址檚 film academy introduced changes to increase the awardsB次元官网网址� diversity in 2020, when no women were nominated as best director for the seventh year running and all 20 nominees in the lead and supporting performer categories were white.
However, there is only one woman among this yearB次元官网网址檚 six best-director nominees: Justine Triet for B次元官网网址淎natomy of a Fall.B次元官网网址� Gerwig, Emerald Fennell for B次元官网网址淪altburnB次元官网网址� and Celine Song for star-crossed romance B次元官网网址淧ast LivesB次元官网网址� all failed to make the list.
A woman of color could take the best actress BAFTA for the first time, with Fantasia Barrino for B次元官网网址淭he Color PurpleB次元官网网址� and Vivian Oparah for B次元官网网址淩ye LaneB次元官网网址� nominated alongside Sandra H眉ller for B次元官网网址淎natomy of a Fall,B次元官网网址� Mulligan for B次元官网网址淢aestro,B次元官网网址� Margot Robbie for B次元官网网址淏arbieB次元官网网址� and Stone for B次元官网网址淧oor Things.B次元官网网址�
German actress H眉ller, who also was up for best supporting actress for her work in B次元官网网址淭he Zone of Interest,B次元官网网址� said she was just B次元官网网址渢rying to be calm.B次元官网网址�
No British performers are nominated in the best-actor category, but Ireland is represented by Murphy for B次元官网网址淥ppenheimerB次元官网网址� and Barry Keoghan for B次元官网网址淪altburn.B次元官网网址� TheyB次元官网网址檙e up against Cooper for B次元官网网址淢aestro,B次元官网网址� Colman Domingo for civil rights biopic B次元官网网址淩ustin,B次元官网网址� Paul Giamatti for B次元官网网址淭he HoldoversB次元官网网址� and Teo Yoo for B次元官网网址淧ast Lives.B次元官网网址�
Ukraine war documentary B次元官网网址�20 Days in Mariupol,B次元官网网址� produced by The Associated Press and PBS B次元官网网址淔rontline,B次元官网网址� is nominated for best documentary and best film not in the English language.
B次元官网网址淓very step of this journey is a miracle,B次元官网网址� said filmmaker Mstyslav Chernov, who captured the harrowing reality of life in the besieged city with an AP team. B次元官网网址淲e represent not just this city, not just Mariupol, but all Ukrainians.B次元官网网址�
The ceremony is set to include musical performances by B次元官网网址淭ed LassoB次元官网网址� star Hannah Waddingham and Sophie Ellis-Bextor, the latter singing her 2001 hit B次元官网网址淢urder on the Dancefloor,B次元官网网址� which shot back up the charts after featuring in B次元官网网址淪altburn.B次元官网网址�
Actress Samantha Morton will receive the academyB次元官网网址檚 highest honor, the BAFTA Fellowship, and film curator June Givanni, founder of the June Givanni PanAfrican Cinema Archive, will be honored for outstanding British contribution to cinema.
SundayB次元官网网址檚 ceremony will be broadcast on BBC One in the U.K. from 1900GMT, and on streaming service BritBox in the U.S., Canada, Australia and South Africa.
Hilary Fox contributed to this story.
Jill Lawless, The Associated Press
