On January 15, local time, the shortlist for the 78th British Academy Film Awards (BAFTA) was announced in London. "The Conclave," directed by Edward Berg and starring Ralph Fiennes, received the most nominations, 12; followed by the musical "Emilia Perez," directed by Jacques Audiard, with 11 nominations; and "Brutalist," directed by Brady Corbett and starring Adrien Brody, received 9 nominations.
"Secret Meeting" poster
Denis Villeneuve (Dune 2), who had previously been nominated for both the Golden Globe and the Directors Guild of America awards, finally received recognition on the other side of the ocean. In addition, Coralie Farria, the director of A Certain Material, also took a seat, and the candidates for the Best Director Award were finally no longer all male.
In the actor awards, the nominations of Marianne Jean-Baptiste (The Hard Truth) and Clarence MacLean (Prison Opera) also highlight the British Academy of Film Awards' efforts in pursuing diversity in recent years. The nominations of Saoirse Ronan (Escape), Felicity Jones (Brutalists) and Hugh Grant (The Infidel) show the Academy Awards' support for local filmmakers.
Poster of Some Kind of Material
Since 2020, the British Academy of Film Awards has made major adjustments to the voting process. It no longer only looks at the number of votes, but forcibly implants a so-called jury in awards such as Best Director and Actor. The final nomination results will be drawn up by the jury. The outside world only knows that the judges are members of the academy, so-called industry experts, and their birth background, work experience, gender, region and age group are 100% in line with the diversity requirements. As for their specific identities and qualifications, the outside world knows nothing, and they never disclose to the outside world what criteria they use to select candidates every year.
In this way, the British Academy Film Awards in recent years are no longer the product of 100% voting. According to the Academy's idea, such artificial manipulation can avoid the controversy of no women, no African Americans, no Asians, and no ethnic minorities among the candidates, and can ensure that they will never be criticized for being conservative.
Another highlight of the nomination list is that Sebastian Stan was nominated for Best Actor for "The Apprentice". Sebastian Stan performed well in both "A Different Man" and "The Apprentice" in 2024. However, most of his previous awards or nominations were for "A Different Man", and because the protagonist of "The Apprentice" is US President-elect Trump, the situation of the leading actor has become very delicate.
Stills from The Apprentice
The 78th British Academy Film Awards ceremony will be held on February 16, hosted by famous actor David Tennant.
[78th British Academy Film Awards Nominations]
Best Film
Anora
Brutalism
Nobody
Secret Meeting
Emilia Perez
Best Director
Sean Baker, Anora
Edward Berger, The Conclave
Brady Corbett, Brutalist
Denis Villeneuve, Dune 2
Jacques Audiard, Emilia Perez
Coralie Farria, "Something Substance"
Best Actress
Marianne Jean-Baptiste, The Hard Truth
Cynthia Erivo, "Wicked"
Carla Sofia Gascón in Emilia Perez
Mickey Madison, Anora
Demi Moore, Some Kind of Material
Saoirse Ronan, "Escape"
Best Actor
Hugh Grant, The Heretic
Adrien Brody, "Brutalist"
Timothee Chalamet, "Nobody"
Sebastian Stan, The Apprentice
Colman Domingo, Prison Theater
Ralph Fiennes, The Conclave
Best Supporting Actress
Selena Gomez - Emilia Perez
Ariana Grande, "Wicked"
Felicity Jones, "Brutalist"
Jamie Lee Curtis, The Last Dancer
Isabella Rossellini, The Conclave
Zoe Saldana in "Emilia Perez"
Best Supporting Actor
Yura Borisov: Anora
Kieran Culkin, "True Pain"
Clarence MacLean, Prison Theater
Edward Norton, Nobody
Guy Pearce, "Brutalist"
Jeremy Strong, The Apprentice
Best Original Screenplay
Anora
Brutalism
The Kneecap Band
"True Pain"
"Something Substance"
Best Adapted Screenplay
Nobody
Secret Meeting
Emilia Perez
Nickel Boy
Prison Theater
Best Documentary Feature
Black Box Diaries
Daughters
The Only Home
Superman: The Christopher Reeve Story
Will & Harper: Friends Road Trip
Best Film Not in the English Language
The Light of Imagination
Emilia Perez
I'm Still Here
The Kneecap Band
The Sacred Fig Seed
Best Animated Feature Film
The Fantasy Adventures of Cats and Cats
Inside Out 2
Wild Robots
Wallace and Gromit: Revenge of the Penguin
Best Children's & Family Film
The Fantasy Adventures of Cats and Cats
Kensuke's Kingdom
Wallace and Gromit: Revenge of the Penguin
Wild Robots
Best Cinematography
Nosferatu
Emilia Perez
Brutalism
Secret Meeting
Dune 2
Best Visual Effects
"Better Man"
Dune 2
Gladiator 2
Planet of the Apes: New World
Wicked
Best Audio
Blitz
Dune 2
Gladiator 2
"Something Substance"
Wicked
Best Art Direction
Brutalism
Secret Meeting
Dune 2
Nosferatu
Wicked
Best Original Score
Brutalism
Secret Meeting
Emilia Perez
Nosferatu
Wild Robots
Best Editing
Anora
Secret Meeting
Dune 2
Emilia Perez
The Kneecap Band
Best Costume Design
Blitz
Nobody
Secret Meeting
Nosferatu
Wicked
Best Makeup and Hair Design
Dune 2
Emilia Perez
Nosferatu
"Something Substance"
Wicked
Best Casting
Anora
The Apprentice
Nobody
Secret Meeting
The Kneecap Band
Best British Film
"bird"
Blitz
Secret Meeting
Gladiator 2
The Brutal Truth
The Kneecap Band
"plum"
A River of Blood and Love
Escape
Wallace and Gromit: Revenge of the Penguin
Best British Short Film
Flowers Bear Silent Witness
Marion
"milk"
Rock, Paper, Scissors
Stomach
Best British Animated Short Film
"goodbye"
Mog's Christmas
A Stroll into Wonderland
Best British First Film
Luna Camon in Treasure House
The Kneecaps - Richie Peppiatt
Dev Patel in "Raging Monkey"
"Santosh" Sandhya Sari
Midnight Sisters - Karan Kandari
Rising Star Award
Marissa Abela, "Back to Darkness"
Jharrel Jerome, "Unstoppable"
David Ronson, "Alien: Revenge"
Mickey Madison, Anora
Nabhan Rizwan, "Secret Character"
