The atomic bomb epic “Oppenheimer'' could break the record set 53 years ago if it wins a record 13 nominations at the British Academy Awards on Sunday.
Christopher Nolan's biopic about physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer is expected to win trophies including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actor for star Cillian Murphy. A good night could see him surpass the record of nine awards won by “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid'' in 1971.
It faces stiff competition from the gothic fantasy film Poor Things, which has 11 nominations, including Best Picture, director Yorgos Lanthimos and actress Emma Stone. Historical blockbuster Killers of the Flower Moon and Holocaust drama The Zone of Interest each received nine nominations for what is officially known as the EE BAFTA Film Awards.
Barbie, the highest-grossing movie of the year and half the box office hit of 2023, Barbenheimer, was nominated for five awards, but missed out on Best Picture and Best Director. ing. The omission of “Barbie” director Greta Gerwig from both the BAFTAs and the Oscars was seen by many as a major snub.
The ceremony, hosted by Doctor Who star David Tennant, was a glamorous appetizer to Hollywood's British-accented Oscars, with hints as to who will win at the Oscars on March 10. All eyes are on whether it will be successful.
Nominees include Bradley Cooper, Carey Mulligan, Emily Blunt, Robert Downey Jr., Rosamund Pike, Ryan Gosling, Ayo Edebiri, Andrew Scott, Cate Blanchett, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Idris Elba.
Prince William, chairman of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts, will appear as the guest of honor. His wife Kate, who is recovering from abdominal surgery last month, will be absent.
Other strong contenders include French courtroom drama “Anatomy of a Fall,'' boarding school youth drama “The Holdovers,'' and Leonard Bernstein biopic “Maestro,'' each with seven nominations. , “All of Us Strangers,'' a love story dotted with sadness. ' with 6 people. The thorny class war comedy “Saltburn” has five nominations.
The best movie race pits “Oppenheimer” against “Poor Things,” “Killers of the Flower Moon,” “Anatomy of the Fall” and “The Holdovers.”
“Poor Things'' is also included in the Top 10 list for other British films, including the class war drama “Saltburn,'' the imperial epic “Napoleon,'' the south London rom-com “Rye Lane,'' and The Origins of a Chocolatier. Contains works spanning a wide range of topics. Stories such as “Wonka”.
Britain's film academy introduced changes to increase diversity at its awards in 2020, with no women nominated for best director for the seventh year in a row, and all 20 nominees in leading and supporting categories were white. . However, only one of the six Best Director nominees is a woman: Justine Triet for Anatomy of a Fall. Gerwig, Saltburn's Emerald Fennell, and star-crossed romance Past Lives' Celine Song all missed the list.
Fantasia Barrino for The Color Purple and Vivian Opala for Rye Lane are nominated along with Sandra Hüller for Anatomy of Fall and Mulligan for Maestro, making them the first women of color to be nominated in the UK. She may win the Academy Award for Best Actress. Margot Robbie from Barbie and Stone from Poor Things.
No British actors were nominated in the Best Actor category, but Ireland's representatives were Murphy for “Oppenheimer'' and Barry Keoghan for “Saltburn.'' They will face Cooper in “Maestro,” Colman Domingo in the civil rights biopic “Rustin,” Paul Giamatti in “The Holdovers” and Teo Yu in “Past Lives.”
The harrowing Ukraine war documentary “20 Days in Mariupol,'' produced by The Associated Press and PBS “Frontline,'' has been nominated for best documentary and best non-English language film.
The ceremony will feature a musical performance by Hannah Waddingham and Sophie Ellis-Bextor of “Ted Lasso,” the latter of whom wrote the 2001 hit “Saltburn,” which rose again up the charts after being featured on “Saltburn.” He sings “Murder on the Dance Floor.”
Samantha Morton will be awarded the Academy's highest honour, a BAFTA Fellowship, while June Givanni Pan African Cinema Archive founder and film curator June Givanni will be recognized for her outstanding contribution to British cinema.
Sunday's ceremony will be broadcast on BBC One in the UK from 7pm GMT, and on streaming service Britbox in the US, Canada, Australia and South Africa.