State of the Race: So about those BAFTA longlists...

by Cláudio Alves

Is I SWEAR this year's little British film that could? Maybe.

The Oscar nominations are ever closer, so it’s time to start finalizing those predictions. And since this year, BAFTA will reveal their lineups after AMPAS, pundits everywhere must make do with the British Academy’s longlists. In the past, they’ve been a good indicator of what the industry’s feeling, and how it differs from the critics who’ve been dominating the awards conversations so far in the season. As expected, One Battle After Another has the most mentions, at 16, closely followed by Hamnet and Sinners with 14 each, Marty Supreme at 13, and both Bugonia and Frankenstein with 12. Still, what’s most surprising and enticing is how BAFTA can go its own way and zig when we expect a zag. Consider their love for Nuremberg, and such local success stories as I Swear and The Ballad of Wallis Island…

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Weekend Awards Wrap-Up: From the Vatican to Vegas

by Cláudio Alves

Mikey Madison crashes into the Best Actress race thanks to BAFTA.

Last weekend marked the rapid ascendance of Anora as the Oscar Best Picture frontrunner. This past week's guilds honors haven't dispelled that notion, though BAFTAs might have, with Conclave taking the top prize from the British Academy. Will the race come down between a doomed Vegas wedding and a Vatican election, or will another contender rise with SAG next Sunday? From social media controversies to precursor disharmony, his season has been uncommonly chaotic and I, for one, am loving this sense of unpredictability. As much as we like to presume otherwise, this isn't a numbers game and stats exist to be broken. So let's break them…

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"Conclave" leads the BAFTA nominations

by Cláudio Alves

Isabella Rossellini and Ralph Fiennes are both nominated for CONCLAVE. | © Focus Features

The BAFTAs are upon us, and this year's nominations are a return to the institution's 2000s penchant for precursor-ism. By that I mean that its choices are keeping in tune with the Oscar favorites in most races. That's unsurprising considering that, for the first time since 2020, the British Academy did away with juries and committees in the acting and directing categories. Many may rejoice at this populist comeback, but I miss the more unexpected choices we enjoyed during those years. In any case, Conclave leads the nomination tally with 12 mentions, while Emilia Pérez is a close runner-up with 11, including a Supporting Actress double dip. Next comes The Brutalist with nine nods, Dune: Part Two, Wicked and Anora have seven, A Complete Unknown six, while The Substance and Nosferatu each nab five…

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Interview: "Clodagh" Director Portia A. Buckley

By Ben Miller

Director Portia A. Buckley is in the middle of a whirlwind experience. Not only has her short film Clodagh been listed on the BAFTA longlist for Best Short Film, it was also announced as a finalist for the Best Live Action Short Oscar. I recently spoke to her about the chaos of awards season, her relationship with cinematographer Jomo Fray, prepping her for bad interview questions, and keeping her film lighter in tone...

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BAFTA Longlists: "Emilia Pérez" rises, Jolie falls

by Cláudio Alves

Jacques Audiard's EMILIA PÉREZ scored 15 mentions in the BAFTA longlists.

Just when you think you're starting to get a grip on the season, here come the BAFTAs to throw a wrench into the proceedings. Well, in some cases, they just confirm what most already suspected. Consider the way Emilia Pérez dominates their longlists - an expected outcome if I've ever seen one - as well as the love for Conclave, Anora, The Brutalist, and a few others. The snubs are more glaring, like Angelina Jolie missing in the Best Actress final ten, or the complete shut-out of September 5 which, until now, seemed like a solid contender for at least three Oscar nominations – Picture, Original Screenplay, Editing. Truth be told, it might still get them all, but this is a stumble in their race for gold, nevertheless.

More commentary and the complete BAFTA longlists after the jump…

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