BAFTA 2024: “Oppenheimer” Leads Nominations, but Surprises Abound
The nominations for the 77th British Academy Film Awards (BAFTA) were announced on January 18th, local time. While “Oppenheimer” emerged as the frontrunner with an impressive 13 nominations, the results for the other three highly anticipated films of the awards season – “Poor Things,” “Killers of the Flower Moon,” and “Barbie” – contained several unexpected twists.
A scene from “Oppenheimer”
Nominations: More Than Just a Popular Vote?
“Poor Things” garnered 11 nominations, yet its director, Yorgos Lanthimos, was surprisingly absent from the Best Director category. “Killers of the Flower Moon” secured 9 nominations, including Best Film, but notable omissions included director Martin Scorsese, lead actor Leonardo DiCaprio, and Lily Gladstone, who previously won Best Actress at the Golden Globes.
“Barbie,” the global box office champion of 2023 and the highest-grossing film in the UK, received a mere 5 nominations, failing to secure nods for Best Film or Best Director. This outcome positions it as a potential major disappointment at this year’s BAFTAs.
Earlier in January, following the initial round of BAFTA voting, “Barbie” held a strong position with 15 preliminary nominations, tying with “Oppenheimer” and “Killers of the Flower Moon.” Many anticipated its guaranteed inclusion in the Best Film and Best Director categories, making the final nominations all the more surprising.
A scene from “Barbie”
The BAFTA Reform: A Shift Towards Diversity and Inclusion
These surprising results reflect the changes implemented by the British Academy Film Awards following criticism in 2020 for a lack of diversity in its nominations.
In response, the Academy introduced significant adjustments to its voting process. Instead of solely relying on vote counts, a jury system was implemented for categories like Best Director and acting awards. This jury, comprised of Academy members and industry experts, is tasked with ensuring diversity in terms of background, experience, gender, region, and age. However, the specific identities and criteria used by the jury remain undisclosed.
This shift means that the BAFTA nominations are no longer solely determined by popular vote. The Academy aims to prevent controversies related to the underrepresentation of women, people of color, or minority groups. However, this “behind-the-scenes” manipulation has sparked debate about whether the nominations accurately reflect the quality of films and performances.
How the Jury System Works
For the Best Director category, the two individuals with the highest vote counts automatically become nominees, regardless of gender. The remaining slots are then filled by the jury, considering gender balance and racial diversity, using undisclosed criteria.
A similar process applies to the acting awards, with the top three vote-getters automatically nominated, and the jury selecting the remaining nominees. This raises questions about the exclusion of Lily Gladstone from “Killers of the Flower Moon,” despite her Golden Globe win and her representation of a minority group.
Supporting British Talent
In addition to promoting diversity, the BAFTA reforms also prioritize British films and filmmakers. This effort aims to avoid criticism of neglecting local talent and simply mirroring the Oscars. As a result, directors like Martin Scorsese, Yorgos Lanthimos, and Greta Gerwig were replaced by Andrew Haigh (“All of Us Strangers”) and Jonathan Glazer (“The Zone of Interest”), who is representing the UK in the Oscars’ Best International Film category.
Vivian Oparah, star of the British rom-com “Rye Lane,” also secured a Best Actress nomination, potentially at the expense of Lily Gladstone.
The British film “All of Us Strangers” emerged as a dark horse, earning six nominations, including Best Film, Director, and Adapted Screenplay. However, Andrew Scott’s acclaimed performance in the film was surprisingly overlooked in the Best Actor category. Meanwhile, the critically divisive “Napoleon” still managed to secure four nominations, including Best British Film, suggesting a degree of favoritism towards British director Ridley Scott.
A Growing Divergence from the Oscars
While some BAFTA voters also participate in the Oscars, the overlap is not substantial. Due to the factors mentioned above, the alignment between the BAFTAs and the Oscars has been decreasing in recent years.
In 2023, “All Quiet on the Western Front” led the BAFTA nominations with 14 nods and won seven awards, including Best Film and Director. Although it received multiple Oscar nominations, it only won Best International Feature Film. In contrast, “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” which won Best Picture at the Oscars, only received one BAFTA award for Best Editing. Furthermore, “CODA,” the Oscar Best Picture winner, did not even receive a Best Film nomination at the BAFTAs.
The divergence also extends to the acting categories. For example, Jessica Chastain, who won an Oscar for “The Eyes of Tammy Faye” in 2022, did not receive a BAFTA nomination. This year, Lily Gladstone can perhaps take solace in this trend.
Lily Gladstone in “Killers of the Flower Moon”
Controversy Over In Memoriam Snub
Adding to the controversy, the BAFTAs faced criticism for their handling of the “In Memoriam” segment. Kate Beckinsale revealed an email from the Academy stating that they “couldn’t guarantee” the inclusion of her stepfather, Roy Battersby, a veteran British television director, in the tribute.
Beckinsale argued that Battersby, who had received a BAFTA Special Award in 1996, deserved recognition for his contributions to British television. The Academy later clarified that Battersby would be honored at the Television Awards in May, confirming his exclusion from the film awards ceremony in February.
77th British Academy Film Awards: Full List of Nominees
Best Film:
- “Anatomy of a Fall”
- “The Holdovers”
- “Killers of the Flower Moon”
- “Oppenheimer”
- “Poor Things”
Best Director:
- Justine Triet - “Anatomy of a Fall”
- Andrew Haigh - “All of Us Strangers”
- Alexander Payne - “The Holdovers”
- Bradley Cooper - “Maestro”
- Christopher Nolan - “Oppenheimer”
- Jonathan Glazer - “The Zone of Interest”
Best Actress:
- Fantasia Barrino - “The Color Purple”
- Sandra Hüller - “Anatomy of a Fall”
- Carey Mulligan - “Maestro”
- Vivian Oparah - “Rye Lane”
- Margot Robbie - “Barbie”
- Emma Stone - “Poor Things”
Best Actor:
- Bradley Cooper - “Maestro”
- Colman Domingo - “Rustin”
- Paul Giamatti - “The Holdovers”
- Barry Keoghan - “Saltburn”
- Cillian Murphy - “Oppenheimer”
- Teo Yoo - “Past Lives”
Best Supporting Actress:
- Claire Foy - “All of Us Strangers”
- Danielle Brooks - “The Color Purple”
- Da’Vine Joy Randolph - “The Holdovers”
- Emily Blunt - “Oppenheimer”
- Rosamund Pike - “Saltburn”
- Sandra Hüller - “The Zone of Interest”
Best Supporting Actor:
- Robert De Niro - “Killers of the Flower Moon”
- Robert Downey Jr. - “Oppenheimer”
- Jacob Elordi - “Saltburn”
- Ryan Gosling - “Barbie”
- Paul Mescal - “All of Us Strangers”
- Dominic Sessa - “The Holdovers”
Best Original Screenplay:
- “Anatomy of a Fall”
- “Barbie”
- “The Holdovers”
- “Maestro”
- “Past Lives”
Best Adapted Screenplay:
- “All of Us Strangers”
- “American Fiction”
- “The Zone of Interest”
Best Film Not in the English Language:
- “20 Days in Mariupol”
- “Anatomy of a Fall”
- “Past Lives”
- “Society of the Snow”
- “The Zone of Interest”
Best Documentary:
- “20 Days in Mariupol”
- “American Symphony”
- “Beyond Utopia”
- “Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie”
- “Wham!”
Best Animated Film:
- “The Boy and the Heron”
- “Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget”
- “Elemental”
- “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse”
Best Cinematography:
Best Costume Design:
- “Napoleon”
Best Editing:
Best Make Up & Hair:
Best Original Score:
- “Saltburn”
- “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse”
Best Production Design:
Best Special Visual Effects:
- “The Creator”
- “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3”
- “Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One”
Best Sound:
- “Ferrari”
Best Casting:
- “How to Have Sex”
- “Killers of the Flower Moon”
Outstanding British Film:
- “The Old Oak”
- “Poor Things”
- “Rye Lane”
- “Saltburn”
- “Scrapper”
- “Wonka”
- “The Zone of Interest”
British Short Film:
- “Festival of Slaps”
- “Gorka”
- “Jellyfish and Lobster”
- “Such a Lovely Day”
- “Yellow”
British Short Animation:
- “Crab Day”
- “Visible Mending”
- “Wild Summon”
Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer:
- Lisa Selby (Director), Rebecca Lloyd-Evans (Director), Alex Fry (Producer) - “Blue Bag Life”
- Christopher Sharpe (Director) - “Bobbi Wine: The People’s President”
- Savannah Leaf (Director, Writer), Shirley O’Connor (Producer), Medb Riordan (Producer) - “Earth Mama”
- Molly Manning Walker (Director, Writer) - “How to Have Sex”
- Ella Glendining (Director) - “Is There Anybody Out There?”
EE Rising Star Award (voted for by the public):
- Phoebe Dynevor
- Ayo Edebiri
- Jacob Elordi
- Mia McKenna-Bruce
- Sophie Wilde