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LONDON – The politically charged thriller “One Battle After Another” and the blues-infused epic “Sinners” are at the forefront of the competition for the British Academy Film Awards, each vying for a dominant position in this year’s awards season.
According to bookmakers, the Shakespearean family tragedy “Hamnet” could potentially surpass its competitors to win the best picture award. This success would depend on whether British film industry voters are swayed by the deeply emotional narrative, authentic English backdrop, and powerful performances in Chloé Zhao’s adaptation of Maggie O’Farrell’s historical novel.
“One Battle” has secured an impressive 14 nominations, including best picture and acting nominations for five of its cast members. “Sinners” follows closely with 13 nominations, while both “Hamnet” and the table tennis journey “Marty Supreme” have earned 11 nominations each.
Guillermo del Toro’s innovative take on “Frankenstein” and the Norwegian family drama “Sentimental Value” have each received eight nominations.
The British awards, officially known as the EE BAFTA Film Awards, are often seen as an indicator of potential success at Hollywood’s Academy Awards, happening this year on March 15. At the Oscars, “Sinners” leads with a historic 16 nominations, while “One Battle After Another” follows with 13.
Stars including Emma Stone, Cillian Murphy, Glenn Close and Ethan Hawke are expected on the red carpet outside London’s Royal Festival Hall before a black-tie ceremony hosted by Scottish actor Alan Cumming.
Cumming, who hosts the U.S. version of reality show “The Traitors,” pledged to strike a “balance between celebration and mischief.”
The BAFTA best film nominees are “One Battle After Another,” “Hamnet,” “Marty Supreme,” “Sinners” and “Sentimental Value.” The BAFTAs also have a distinctly British accent, with a separate category for best British film. Its 10 nominees include “The Ballad of Wallis Island,” “Pillion,” “I Swear” and “Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy.”
Directing contenders are Paul Thomas Anderson for “One Battle,” Josh Safdie for “Marty Supreme,” Ryan Coogler for “Sinners,” Yorgos Lanthimos for dystopian tragicomedy “Bugonia,” Joachim Trier for “Sentimental Value” and Zhao for “Hamnet.” Zhao will be the first female director to win two BAFTAs if she takes the prize. She won the directing award in 2021 for “Nomadland.”
Best leading actor nominees are bookies’ favorite Timothée Chalamet for “Marty Supreme,” Leonardo DiCaprio for “One Battle After Another,” Ethan Hawke for Broadway biopic “Blue Moon,” Michael B. Jordan for “Sinners,” Jesse Plemons for “Bugonia” and Robert Aramayo for playing a man with Tourette’s syndrome in biographical drama “I Swear.”
The leading actress category includes the strongly favored Jessie Buckley for her performance as Agnes Hathaway, wife of William Shakespeare, in “Hamnet.” She’s up against Rose Byrne for “If I Had Legs I’d Kick You,” Kate Hudson for “Song Sung Blue,” Chase Infiniti for “One Battle After Another,” Renate Reinsve for “Sentimental Value” and Emma Stone for “Bugonia.”
“One Battle” actors Teyana Taylor, Benicio del Toro and Sean Penn are all nominated for supporting performances.
The Associated Press was recognized in the best documentary category with a nomination for Mstyslav Chernov’s harrowing Ukraine war portrait “2000 Meters to Andriivka, ” co-produced by the AP and Frontline PBS.
Most BAFTA winners are chosen by 8,500 members of the U.K. academy of industry professionals. Contenders for the Rising Star award – the only prize decided by public vote and a reliable picker of future A-listers – are Infiniti, Aramayo, “Sinners” star Miles Caton and British actors Archie Madekwe and Posy Sterling.
Donna Langley, the U.K.-born chairwoman of NBCUniversal Entertainment, will be awarded the British Academy’s highest honor, the BAFTA fellowship.
The ceremony airs on BBC in the United Kingdom starting at 7 p.m. (1900GMT) and on E! in the U.S. at 8 p.m. EST.
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