Stars from both sides of the Atlantic and beyond walked the red carpet Sunday for the British Academy Film Awards, where atom-bomb epic 鈥淥ppenheimer鈥� could smash a 53-year-old record if it makes good on its field-leading 13 nominations.
Christopher Nolan 鈥檚 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 鈥淏utch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid鈥� at the BAFTAs in 1971.
It faces stiff competition in what鈥檚 widely considered a vintage year for cinema. Gothic fantasia 鈥淧oor Things鈥� has 11 nominations, including best film, director for Yorgos Lanthimos and actress for Emma Stone. Historical epic 鈥淜illers of the Flower Moon鈥� and Holocaust drama 鈥� The Zone of Interest鈥� have nine nominations each for the prizes, officially called the EE BAFTA Film Awards.
The ceremony, hosted by 鈥淒octor Who鈥� star David Tennant, will be a glitzy, British-accented appetizer for Hollywood鈥檚 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 London鈥檚 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. He鈥檒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 鈥淭he Holdovers,鈥� said he was 鈥渉aving the time of my life鈥� on the awards circuit.
Other leading contenders include French courtroom drama 鈥淎natomy of a Fall,鈥� boarding school coming-of-age drama 鈥淭he Holdovers鈥� and Leonard Bernstein biopic 鈥淢aestro鈥� 鈥� each with seven nominations 鈥� and grief-flecked love story 鈥淎ll of Us Strangers鈥� with six. Barbed class-war dramedy 鈥淪altburn 鈥� has five nominations.
鈥淏arbie,鈥� one half of 2023鈥檚 鈥淏arbenheimer鈥� box office juggernaut and the year鈥檚 top-grossing film, also has five nominations but missed out on nods for best picture and best director. Many saw the omission of 鈥淏arbie鈥� director Greta Gerwig 鈥� for both the BAFTAs and the Oscars 鈥� as a major snub.
The best film race pits 鈥淥ppenheimer鈥� against 鈥淧oor Things,鈥� 鈥淜illers of the Flower Moon,鈥� 鈥淎natomy of a Fall鈥� and 鈥淭he Holdovers.鈥�
The BAFTAs also celebrate home-grown cinema with a separate category of best British film, an eclectic slate that includes 鈥淪altburn鈥� 鈥� snubbed at the Oscars but embraced by the U.K. academy 鈥� alongside imperial epic 鈥淣apoleon,鈥� south London romcom 鈥淩ye Lane鈥� and chocolatier origin story 鈥淲onka,鈥� among others.
Britain鈥檚 film academy introduced changes to increase the awards鈥� 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 year鈥檚 six best-director nominees: Justine Triet for 鈥淎natomy of a Fall.鈥� Gerwig, Emerald Fennell for 鈥淪altburn鈥� and Celine Song for star-crossed romance 鈥淧ast Lives鈥� all failed to make the list.
A woman of color could take the best actress BAFTA for the first time, with Fantasia Barrino for 鈥淭he Color Purple鈥� and Vivian Oparah for 鈥淩ye Lane鈥� nominated alongside Sandra H眉ller for 鈥淎natomy of a Fall,鈥� Mulligan for 鈥淢aestro,鈥� Margot Robbie for 鈥淏arbie鈥� and Stone for 鈥淧oor Things.鈥�
German actress H眉ller, who also was up for best supporting actress for her work in 鈥淭he Zone of Interest,鈥� said she was just 鈥渢rying to be calm.鈥�
No British performers are nominated in the best-actor category, but Ireland is represented by Murphy for 鈥淥ppenheimer鈥� and Barry Keoghan for 鈥淪altburn.鈥� They鈥檙e up against Cooper for 鈥淢aestro,鈥� Colman Domingo for civil rights biopic 鈥淩ustin,鈥� Paul Giamatti for 鈥淭he Holdovers鈥� and Teo Yoo for 鈥淧ast Lives.鈥�
Ukraine war documentary 鈥�20 Days in Mariupol,鈥� produced by The Associated Press and PBS 鈥淔rontline,鈥� is nominated for best documentary and best film not in the English language.
鈥淓very step of this journey is a miracle,鈥� said filmmaker Mstyslav Chernov, who captured the harrowing reality of life in the besieged city with an AP team. 鈥淲e represent not just this city, not just Mariupol, but all Ukrainians.鈥�
The ceremony is set to include musical performances by 鈥淭ed Lasso鈥� star Hannah Waddingham and Sophie Ellis-Bextor, the latter singing her 2001 hit 鈥淢urder on the Dancefloor,鈥� which shot back up the charts after featuring in 鈥淪altburn.鈥�
Actress Samantha Morton will receive the academy鈥檚 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.
Sunday鈥檚 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
