Conclave and Emilia Perez on Wednesday led the shortlist of films unveiled vying for recognition at Britain’s BAFTA awards, as the race for Oscars glory gathers pace.
Conclave, a fictionalised account of high-stakes horse-trading in the Vatican after the death of a pope, earned 12 nominations while surreal narco-thriller musical Emilia Perez followed with 11. Both will compete for the coveted best film award at next month’s ceremony.
Epic immigrant drama The Brutalist, which received nine nominations including for best film, Wicked (seven) and Dune: Part Two (seven) were the other leading contenders.
Unexpected hit Kneecap, a docu-fiction about three Belfast upstarts who rap in the Irish language, racked up six awards, including for original screenplay and outstanding British film.
French director Jacques Audiard’s Mexico-set Emilia Perez and The Brutalist were the big winners at the Golden Globes earlier this month, and both appear strong contenders for top gongs at the Oscars on March 2.
However, this year’s awards season is seen as highly unpredictable.
An international crop of movies are considered potential big winners in Hollywood and at the BAFTAs, the highlight of the annual British film calendar held two weeks earlier.
Hosted by Scottish actor David Tennant, it will take place on February 16 at London’s Royal Festival Hall.
Cannes favourite Anora and Bob Dylan biopic A Complete Unknown will also battle for the best film BAFTA in the British capital.
Meanwhile, the director award pits Audiard against Edward Berger (Conclave), Sean Baker (Anora), Brady Corbet (The Brutalist) Denis Villeneuve (Dune: Part Two) and Coralie Fargeat (The Substance).
Karla Sofia Gascon, the transgender star of Emilia Perez, will compete with Cynthia Erivo (Wicked), Marianne Jean-Baptiste (Hard Truths), Mikey Madison (Anora), Demi Moore (The Substance) and Saoirse Ronan (The Outrun) for best actress recognition.
The leading actor award will see Adrien Brody (The Brutalist), Ralph Fiennes (Conclave), Timothee Chalamet (A Complete Unknown), Colman Domingo (Sing Sing), Hugh Grant (Heretic) and Sebastian Stan (The Apprentice) all compete.