‘Emilia Perez’ leads the pack of longlisted features for the BAFTA Film Awards.
The Jacques Audiard-directed crime-comedy film — who starred Zoe Saldana and Selena Gomez — has been longlisted in 15 categories ahead of the upcoming awards show. This marks one of the highest category appearances for a non-English language film in BAFTA history.
The acclaimed movie is in contention for a number of the most-coveted awards, including Best Film and Best Director. Industry experts note that films nominated in both these categories historically have a 40% higher chance of Oscar recognition.
Elsewhere, ‘Conclave’ – the Edward Berger-directed thriller – is in contention for 14 accolades, after the British Academy unveiled the results of the first round of voting across all 25 categories. The voting process involved over 7,500 BAFTA members, marking a record participation rate.
The movie – which is based on a 2016 novel by Robert Harris – is also among the contenders for the Best Film and Best Director gongs, while Ralph Fiennes is up for the Leading Actor award. This marks Fiennes’ seventh BAFTA nomination consideration.
The critically acclaimed film tells the story of a Cardinal who tries to organize the election of the next Pope. The production involved extensive consultation with Vatican historians to ensure authenticity.
Meanwhile, The Substance, The Brutalist and A Complete Unknown all feature on 11 lists, while Wicked and Dune: Part Two appear on 10. These nominations represent a diverse mix of genres, from musical adaptations to sci-fi epics.
Anora and the Sir Ridley Scott-directed Gladiator 2 feature on nine lists. The sequel to the 2000 Oscar-winning film has generated significant buzz in the industry.
However, Gladiator 2 — which stars the likes of Paul Mescal, Pedro Pascal, Joseph Quinn, and Denzel Washington — isn’t on the Best Film longlist. The film’s production budget reportedly exceeded $200 million, making it one of the year’s most expensive productions.
This year’s ceremony will feature the Children’s and Family Film category for the first time, and The Wild Robot, That Christmas and Wallace and Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl have been named on the longlist. This new category reflects BAFTA’s commitment to recognizing excellence across all audience demographics.
The full list of BAFTA nominees is set to be announced on Jan. 15. Last year’s announcement garnered more than 12 million viewers worldwide.
The awards ceremony will be held on Feb. 16 at Royal Festival Hall in London, with actor David Tennant returning to host the event. The venue, which seats 2,700 people, has been the ceremony’s home since 2017.
The longlists represent a significant milestone in the awards season calendar, often providing early indicators of Oscar favorites. Statistical analysis shows that approximately 70 percent of BAFTA nominees typically receive Oscar nominations in corresponding categories.
This year’s selections also highlight the growing diversity in British cinema, with a record number of international co-productions and first-time filmmakers represented across categories. The inclusion of multiple non-English language films in major categories reflects the global nature of contemporary filmmaking.
