(Web Desk) – An offbeat political thriller, a vampire horror epic and a Shakespearean period drama will go head-to-head on Sunday at the British Academy Film Awards (BAFTAs), Britain’s biggest film night and a key precursor to the Oscars.
Leading the nominations is One Battle After Another, directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, with 14 nods including Best Film. The thriller, loosely based on Vineland by Thomas Pynchon, stars Leonardo DiCaprio as a washed-up revolutionary hunted by white supremacists.
Close behind is vampire period horror Sinners, directed by Ryan Coogler, with 13 BAFTA nominations and a record-breaking 16 Oscar nods.
Ping-pong drama Marty Supreme, starring Timothee Chalamet, secured 11 nominations, adding further star power to the race.
‘Hamnet’ the Surprise Contender?
The period drama Hamnet has emerged as a strong challenger. Adapted from Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell, the film explores the personal life of William Shakespeare and his wife Agnes as they navigate the loss of their son during plague-ravaged Elizabethan England.
Directed by Oscar-winner Chloe Zhao, the film earned 11 BAFTA nominations — significantly more than its seven Oscar nods. It recently triumphed at the Golden Globe Awards, beating “Sinners” to Best Drama Film.
Irish actress Jessie Buckley, who portrays Agnes, is the favourite for Best Leading Actress after her Golden Globes win. She faces competition from Kate Hudson (“Song Sung Blue”), Emma Stone (“Bugonia”), Renate Reinsve (“Sentimental Value”), Chase Infiniti (“One Battle”) and Rose Byrne (“If I Had Legs I’d Kick You”).
Best Actor Showdown
Chalamet is gaining momentum in the Best Actor race following wins at the Critics Choice and Golden Globes. However, he faces stiff competition from DiCaprio and Michael B. Jordan.
Notably absent from the acting nominations is Paul Mescal, who plays Shakespeare in “Hamnet.”
Best Director and British Film Race
Anderson, Coogler and Josh Safdie (“Marty Supreme”) are contenders for Best Director, alongside Yorgos Lanthimos (“Bugonia”), Joachim Trier (“Sentimental Value”) and Zhao.
The ceremony will be hosted by Scottish actor Alan Cumming at London’s Southbank Centre.
In the Outstanding British Film category, “Hamnet” faces commercial hit “Bridget Jones, Mad About the Boy” and biographical drama “I Swear,” which tells the true story of a Scottish man whose life was transformed by Tourette Syndrome.
Meanwhile, “Sentimental Value” competes in the Foreign Language Film category against Brazilian thriller “The Secret Agent,” Palme d’Or winner “It Was Just An Accident,” and Palestinian docudrama “The Voice of Hind Rajab.”
As ever, the BAFTAs — open to all nationalities unlike France’s Cesars or Spain’s Goyas — could chart their own course, potentially reshaping momentum ahead of Hollywood’s biggest night.
